FAILURE TO EXERCISE STRONG LEADERSHIP
A shocking number of both new and old supervisors seem reluctant to exercise the forceful leadership management wants, employees respect, and the job requires.[1] Too many supervisors back away from an aggressive employee or avoid any confrontation with those who work for them.
[1] Chapter 24 is devoted to the subject of leadership.
Why? Several reasons seem to explain such behavior. Some supervisors would rather be popular than effective. In other words, they are simply too sensitive to the possibility of receiving a negative reaction from an employee if a firm stand is taken. In other cases, the manager is intimidated by those he or she is supposed to lead. Both responses may stem from a fear of people that needs to be dissipated. Leo is a good example.
Most of the employees in Leo's department loved him. Some said he was the finest supervisor they had ever known. He was kind, sensitive, and calm in all situations. There was a very harmonious climate inside the department most of the time. It naturally came as a shock to the employees when Leo was given a nonsupervisory job and replaced by another man. Why did management take this step? They removed Leo because he was permitting a few employees to take advantage of him. Rules were being broken, and production was down. Leo had been counseled on the problem, but he couldn't face taking the necessary disciplinary action to correct the situation. As a result, management had no choice but to transfer Leo to a nonsupervisory job.
Some supervisors mistakenly believe that time solves all problems. The people who perpetuate this myth fail to see that one unsolved problem often sets up a chain reaction that creates others. They also fail to recognize that a problem left unsolved can fester and damage a relationship beyond repair. Marge was naive in this respect.
Marge grew up in a home where problems were never dealt with openly. Communication was restricted to pleasant subjects. As a result, she formed the habit of keeping most of her personal problems inside. The habit had become so much a part of her that when she became a supervisor she followed the same pattern. What happened? She soon had so many unsolved problems that her boss had to come to her rescue.
Solving problems too quickly (without getting the facts) can be a serious mistake, but expecting time to solve them for you is simply going to the opposite extreme.
These reasons, among others, are why many supervisors fail to provide the strong leadership needed. Some people are much too introverted to communicate their feelings to others. Others have more faith in the behavior of their employees than is justified. A few simply refuse to recognize that the supervisor must be a leader to survive. The precautionary measures suggested here will help you avoid such traps.
Talk about it when it first affects you. Learn to say what is on your mind when you first have a reaction. At least two good reasons make this step an important one: (1) If you don't discuss something that is troubling you as soon as it begins to affect you, it will bother you until it emerges too harshly. The pressure caused by holding it back may make you hostile, leading to misinterpretation. (2) When your employees are permitted some small infraction a few times, they begin to build a defense against the time when you reprimand them for it. The defense makes them less communicative and sometimes adds an explosive element that would not exist if you had corrected the infraction at the beginning.
Say what is on your mind and say it often. Don't bury your thoughts until they become distorted. Open and frequent communication is an effective way to demonstrate strong leadership.
Tell it the way it is. It is a mistake to cushion your verbal communication in soft words and tones so that what you say is taken too lightly or disregarded. Be firm, be clear, and let people know you mean it. Employees can take more frank talk and constructive criticism than you think. Be specific and focus on the behavior or situation that bothers you. Never insult an employee by calling him a name such as lazy or incompetent.
Let your employees feel that you are leading them. Most employees like the security of strong leadership from their supervisor. Be considerate, sensitive, and fair—but above all, be decisive. If you are, you will dissipate a great deal of apprehension and confusion among your employees.
Seek respect rather than popularity. You are ill advised to run a popularity contest in competition with other supervisors. Be content to build honest working relationships based upon the integrity of doing a good job and not upon personal favors that bring immediate gratification but destroy respect. Recognize the difference and you will be a more successful leader.
As a supervisor, you may need to take a firm position with a problem employee, with a fellow supervisor, or during a management meeting. But how firm? How assertive need you become to be effective as a supervisor? What kind of balance between passiveness and counterproductive aggressiveness should you strike? Here are some tips:
Keep in mind that strong leadership is as important with teams as under the traditional approach.
Becoming more assertive may be uncomfortable for you at the beginning. If so, it may take time to establish the balance you seek. Be patient with yourself, but don't err on the side of weakness.
In general, you want to show strength without aggressive behavior that will injure relationships. It means being firm but understanding, taking a position but also being open to compromise, and maintaining respect for others and the position they take.
To protect the productivity of your department (and the firm's profit), you have the right to speak up and take a stand. Your challenge is to do so and, at the same time, build good human relationships in all directions.
As you make your moves, assume a “win-win” attitude. Be assertive to the point where you, your colleagues, and your company come out ahead. But no further! Keep in mind that you can show strength in your eyes, posture, and demeanor, as well as your voice. Choose your words carefully.
You know you are showing the right degree of assertiveness when others are equally open, direct, and forceful with you.