Classic Management Mistakes
12 October 2010
Read by 2096 persons
Luc Becquaert, partner at Monceau Carrières, has supported 500 executives and managers in professional transition. His practical advice for optimizing your management.
Managers always make the same kinds of mistakes with their employees... and with themselves. Here they are.
We all lack self-confidence
"Almost everyone I've supported tends, in one way or another, to underestimate themselves, to not dare, be able, or want to reach their full potential, and are unaware of their true worth. Our Judeo-Christian education forces us to be modest and conditions us with often inhibiting behaviors. Ask yourself why your employer pays you. Not to please you, but because you have value! Another practical exercise: ask 20 people what they think you can do that they can't. You'll be surprised by the result, try it!"
Our three main management flaws
"I have often seen a lack of ability to communicate meaning to employees, a lack of listening, and a lack of courage."
We neglect communication with our superiors
"Our superiors are like us: they lack self-confidence! As strange as it may seem to some, we must reassure them, inform them, cultivate the relationship. In order to better understand who you are dealing with, it is always interesting to understand what they do when they are not working. To maintain good relationships, it is relevant to go to them for problems of their responsibility, and no more. The same approach for transmitting information: no need to overwhelm them with numbers and reports."
We don't listen enough to our employees
"Too many managers fail to create a climate of trust. Yet this is essential in a team, as it is the foundation for truly participatory communication. Faced with a problem, how many managers lock themselves in their bubble and worry? It is important to learn to know your employees better. How do they work? What are they receptive to? What are their motivations and values? These are all questions you need to be able to answer in order to create a good atmosphere in your teams. You can also ask them what they would do in your place; you will generally get very rich answers."
We don't show enough appreciation
"An employee who is sufficiently recognized shows greater ingenuity and productivity than when ignored. This seems obvious, and yet, too many managers seem to ignore it! Saying thank you, well done are simple words, but they show daily appreciation, which is one of the fundamental needs of an employee."
Published September 21, 2010
Posted online October 12, 2010
lexpansion.com
Managers always make the same kinds of mistakes with their employees... and with themselves. Here they are.
We all lack self-confidence
"Almost everyone I've supported tends, in one way or another, to underestimate themselves, to not dare, be able, or want to reach their full potential, and are unaware of their true worth. Our Judeo-Christian education forces us to be modest and conditions us with often inhibiting behaviors. Ask yourself why your employer pays you. Not to please you, but because you have value! Another practical exercise: ask 20 people what they think you can do that they can't. You'll be surprised by the result, try it!"
Our three main management flaws
"I have often seen a lack of ability to communicate meaning to employees, a lack of listening, and a lack of courage."
We neglect communication with our superiors
"Our superiors are like us: they lack self-confidence! As strange as it may seem to some, we must reassure them, inform them, cultivate the relationship. In order to better understand who you are dealing with, it is always interesting to understand what they do when they are not working. To maintain good relationships, it is relevant to go to them for problems of their responsibility, and no more. The same approach for transmitting information: no need to overwhelm them with numbers and reports."
We don't listen enough to our employees
"Too many managers fail to create a climate of trust. Yet this is essential in a team, as it is the foundation for truly participatory communication. Faced with a problem, how many managers lock themselves in their bubble and worry? It is important to learn to know your employees better. How do they work? What are they receptive to? What are their motivations and values? These are all questions you need to be able to answer in order to create a good atmosphere in your teams. You can also ask them what they would do in your place; you will generally get very rich answers."
We don't show enough appreciation
"An employee who is sufficiently recognized shows greater ingenuity and productivity than when ignored. This seems obvious, and yet, too many managers seem to ignore it! Saying thank you, well done are simple words, but they show daily appreciation, which is one of the fundamental needs of an employee."
Published September 21, 2010
Posted online October 12, 2010
lexpansion.com
