To improve, a good manager must learn to self-criticize
13 July 2010
Read by 1884 persons
Stress, turnover, poor performance..., signals that reveal management problems. A good manager must accept the fact that he is not infallible. He must know how to listen to others. There is no magic recipe for correcting oneself. It is better to trust one's instincts.
Do you think you have all the qualities of a good manager? Yet, your team's results are always below targets. It may be time to question the reasons for your setbacks. "To progress, a manager must constantly ask himself questions, it's fundamental. Whether it's the atmosphere within his team or towards himself," recalls Essaid Bellal, CEO of Diorh firm. It is still necessary to be able to self-criticize, to question oneself. Without being "obsessive, it is necessary", adds Ali Serhani, HR consultant at Gesper Services. Indeed, knowing how to question oneself and listen to others are prerequisites when leading a team. A manager must keep in mind that he evolves in a constantly changing environment and that he must manage increasingly complex situations. So, rather than constantly blaming your employees or being surprised by their lack of involvement, why not recognize that these signs may be revealing management errors of which you are unaware? No one is immune. Even experienced managers are sometimes caught by mistakes.
The problem is that "in Morocco, humility is still considered a weakness. This is why some senior managers build a shell of untouchability or even dictatorship," recalls Ali Serhani. In other words, they consider themselves irreproachable and avoid, or forget, to question themselves. This can "sometimes lead to situations that are damaging for the company, its employees and even its customers," emphasizes William Simoncelli, CEO of Carré Immobilier Maroc. Indeed, we have often seen flourishing companies gradually sink into difficulties, without, from the outside, being able to explain the reasons.
So how can you decipher the signs of your managerial shortcomings? "The first step is to identify the first signals: lack of assertiveness, poor results from collaborators, demotivation, stressful atmosphere, conflicts, etc.," emphasizes Chantal Aounil, recruitment manager at Bil Consulting. It is indeed necessary to be constantly vigilant in order to observe the results and behavior of your team and to speak directly with your collaborators if necessary. Without becoming a social worker or a psychologist, a manager must be as comfortable in human resources management as in technical or financial aspects. In other words, he is certainly expected to deliver results, this is the logic that prevails in any company. But without the people who accompany him in achieving his objectives, he will not be able to go far. It is therefore necessary for him to remember that his professional and personal evolution depends on the constant consideration of the human variable, of his team.
Faïçal Oudmine, CEO of FoudMind Capital consulting, is even more precise. For him, "the two barometers of each manager should be the quality of the work provided by his team and the atmosphere within the company."
Being a manager is also being able to choose the right people to work with, to give them your trust, to help them grow, but also to know how to part ways when it becomes imperative. Even if perfection remains an ideal, a manager should aim for "zero defects" throughout his career. Communicating well, knowing how to support, motivate, delegate..., all this can be learned whether you are a junior or senior manager. And if the task always proves to be as arduous, or even impossible, a wise manager knows that he has a wide range of tools to appreciate and perfect his leadership. But be careful, at this stage, the desire to progress is not enough. As in everyday life, you must be convinced that your will to change is the best solution and that, consequently, it will require a significant personal investment and, most often, a real questioning, realizing that there is no miracle recipe that gives instant results.
The tools for improving performance are numerous, but are not a panacea
And to approach this change process in the best conditions, "there are tools for managing teams and projects according to the results you want to obtain in a given situation," recalls Chantal Aounil.
Everyone has their own method for progressing. Some prefer to embark on training to overcome their shortcomings, deepen their professional knowledge or strengthen their managerial skills. Others opt for coaching or personalized support, very popular in Morocco for the past ten years. This approach can be effective if it is carried out professionally. But all these tools or approaches are not a panacea. "You can be an excellent manager in one context and very bad in another, it is not immutable in time and space," recalls Essaid Bellal. This is perhaps why Nawal El Kahlaoui, associate director of a retail marketing agency, is "not yet convinced by self-assessment grids, tests, coaching" and prefers to trust her instincts.
Remember, however, that for every problem there is a solution. Knowing how to adopt the right attitude, to appropriate the approach and the tools at your disposal, to recognize the potential of each of your collaborators, to adapt your management to each profile and to the challenges of the situation... Discover the advice of the experts and managers we interviewed on their vision of leadership and their personal experience.
Published on July 12, 2010
Posted online on July 13, 2010
lavieeco
Do you think you have all the qualities of a good manager? Yet, your team's results are always below targets. It may be time to question the reasons for your setbacks. "To progress, a manager must constantly ask himself questions, it's fundamental. Whether it's the atmosphere within his team or towards himself," recalls Essaid Bellal, CEO of Diorh firm. It is still necessary to be able to self-criticize, to question oneself. Without being "obsessive, it is necessary", adds Ali Serhani, HR consultant at Gesper Services. Indeed, knowing how to question oneself and listen to others are prerequisites when leading a team. A manager must keep in mind that he evolves in a constantly changing environment and that he must manage increasingly complex situations. So, rather than constantly blaming your employees or being surprised by their lack of involvement, why not recognize that these signs may be revealing management errors of which you are unaware? No one is immune. Even experienced managers are sometimes caught by mistakes.
The problem is that "in Morocco, humility is still considered a weakness. This is why some senior managers build a shell of untouchability or even dictatorship," recalls Ali Serhani. In other words, they consider themselves irreproachable and avoid, or forget, to question themselves. This can "sometimes lead to situations that are damaging for the company, its employees and even its customers," emphasizes William Simoncelli, CEO of Carré Immobilier Maroc. Indeed, we have often seen flourishing companies gradually sink into difficulties, without, from the outside, being able to explain the reasons.
So how can you decipher the signs of your managerial shortcomings? "The first step is to identify the first signals: lack of assertiveness, poor results from collaborators, demotivation, stressful atmosphere, conflicts, etc.," emphasizes Chantal Aounil, recruitment manager at Bil Consulting. It is indeed necessary to be constantly vigilant in order to observe the results and behavior of your team and to speak directly with your collaborators if necessary. Without becoming a social worker or a psychologist, a manager must be as comfortable in human resources management as in technical or financial aspects. In other words, he is certainly expected to deliver results, this is the logic that prevails in any company. But without the people who accompany him in achieving his objectives, he will not be able to go far. It is therefore necessary for him to remember that his professional and personal evolution depends on the constant consideration of the human variable, of his team.
Faïçal Oudmine, CEO of FoudMind Capital consulting, is even more precise. For him, "the two barometers of each manager should be the quality of the work provided by his team and the atmosphere within the company."
Being a manager is also being able to choose the right people to work with, to give them your trust, to help them grow, but also to know how to part ways when it becomes imperative. Even if perfection remains an ideal, a manager should aim for "zero defects" throughout his career. Communicating well, knowing how to support, motivate, delegate..., all this can be learned whether you are a junior or senior manager. And if the task always proves to be as arduous, or even impossible, a wise manager knows that he has a wide range of tools to appreciate and perfect his leadership. But be careful, at this stage, the desire to progress is not enough. As in everyday life, you must be convinced that your will to change is the best solution and that, consequently, it will require a significant personal investment and, most often, a real questioning, realizing that there is no miracle recipe that gives instant results.
The tools for improving performance are numerous, but are not a panacea
And to approach this change process in the best conditions, "there are tools for managing teams and projects according to the results you want to obtain in a given situation," recalls Chantal Aounil.
Everyone has their own method for progressing. Some prefer to embark on training to overcome their shortcomings, deepen their professional knowledge or strengthen their managerial skills. Others opt for coaching or personalized support, very popular in Morocco for the past ten years. This approach can be effective if it is carried out professionally. But all these tools or approaches are not a panacea. "You can be an excellent manager in one context and very bad in another, it is not immutable in time and space," recalls Essaid Bellal. This is perhaps why Nawal El Kahlaoui, associate director of a retail marketing agency, is "not yet convinced by self-assessment grids, tests, coaching" and prefers to trust her instincts.
Remember, however, that for every problem there is a solution. Knowing how to adopt the right attitude, to appropriate the approach and the tools at your disposal, to recognize the potential of each of your collaborators, to adapt your management to each profile and to the challenges of the situation... Discover the advice of the experts and managers we interviewed on their vision of leadership and their personal experience.
Published on July 12, 2010
Posted online on July 13, 2010
lavieeco
