Asserting Yourself as a Manager
17 December 2008
Read by 2074 persons
Knowing how to say no and not saying everything to establish your legitimacy. Exclusive excerpts from the book by Dominique Perez and Nathalie Samson entitled The Complete Guide for the New Manager (Express Editions, 2008).
At a time when the concept of "management" had not been born, at least in France, we more readily spoke of authority to define what the role of the leader should be. The terms have changed, however, asserting one's legitimacy still involves the ability to say no, to show decision-making ability…
How to find or regain legitimacy? "From the moment you have been appointed to a position, you are legitimate. Then, there is work to be done. You can have a natural authority, but you can also work on it," assures Paul Siboun, trainer, during the "Authority and Legitimacy" training organized by Docendi. Each year, managers or future managers indeed enroll in courses aimed at giving them operational tools to acquire it. At the end, they understand in particular that it is not enough to say "I am the boss"…
What is legitimacy?
"A legitimate manager is a person whose function is defined by a status and whose profile and behavior conform to the function held. A person perceived in their rightful place," estimates Paul Siboun. When a part of the function is missing, the manager is incomplete. "He has a dual role, which is to increase the productivity and profits of the company… but also to contribute to the fulfillment of his collaborators. In this last area, the most important is the state of mind. Form counts as much as substance."
Saying no. Most common example: how to do when you have to say no? Issue an outright refusal or, conversely, build a long argument? "It must be done in a positive way, advises the trainer. For example, if you are asked for an appointment immediately and you are not available, you can answer: "No, not right away, but yes later." And if you have to refuse a collaborator's request, you must give an "explanatory no", and not a "justificatory no".
The 5 components of legitimacy
To help you build your legitimacy, but also determine what would help you acquire it, here is a list of questions to ask yourself proposed by Docendi. Do not neglect any of the areas.
- The environment: is the organizational chart readable, accessible to all, known? Have I established clear rules in my team? If this is not the case, they must be formalized.
- The mission: is it clear? Is it known to the team? Is there a job description? Does my manager willingly support me, has he accepted an invitation to a meeting at my request?
- The vision: do I have a clear vision of my department? Am I able to share it, to give meaning, to make connections? Does the expression "in my opinion" form part of my vocabulary? Am I able to articulate short and long term? Do I see everything in my department? How do I remember it?
- Expertise: what expertise do I need most? Technical and/or managerial? Have I shown my availability to help my team and make it more expert? Am I able to transmit my knowledge, my know-how? Am I inclined towards more technical and/or relational things? Do I trust? Do I delegate?
- The relational: what is my real ability to establish relays, listen, question, reformulate and communicate? How much time do I spend with each of my collaborators? What do they expect from me?
Beware of the violence of power. "It is others who give you the "power to" do something, affirms Paul Siboun. Your hierarchy as well as your collaborators expect you to assume it. But you must always be careful not to confuse "power over" (based on coercion), and "power to" (based on consultation) which is the responsibility of the team leader." And if your power is perceived as illegitimate, its exercise will be perceived as coercive and violent…"
Don't say everything. Without having a cult of secrecy, and especially letting rumors run in your department or in the company, total and constant transparency towards collaborators is also not advised. "You can't say everything," confirms Paul Siboun. If, for example, the situation is difficult and a works council must be held in a week… you only need to say what you can say and encourage employees to "let their fears out."
Knowing how to "say" to assume your authority?
The time of "I want and I demand" should be over. When you have to impose something, it is advisable to use a positive and non-incantatory form. One possibility: start your sentence with "I am responsible for…".
Posted on December 15, 2008
lexpansion.com
How to find or regain legitimacy? "From the moment you have been appointed to a position, you are legitimate. Then, there is work to be done. You can have a natural authority, but you can also work on it," assures Paul Siboun, trainer, during the "Authority and Legitimacy" training organized by Docendi. Each year, managers or future managers indeed enroll in courses aimed at giving them operational tools to acquire it. At the end, they understand in particular that it is not enough to say "I am the boss"…
What is legitimacy?
"A legitimate manager is a person whose function is defined by a status and whose profile and behavior conform to the function held. A person perceived in their rightful place," estimates Paul Siboun. When a part of the function is missing, the manager is incomplete. "He has a dual role, which is to increase the productivity and profits of the company… but also to contribute to the fulfillment of his collaborators. In this last area, the most important is the state of mind. Form counts as much as substance."
Saying no. Most common example: how to do when you have to say no? Issue an outright refusal or, conversely, build a long argument? "It must be done in a positive way, advises the trainer. For example, if you are asked for an appointment immediately and you are not available, you can answer: "No, not right away, but yes later." And if you have to refuse a collaborator's request, you must give an "explanatory no", and not a "justificatory no".
The 5 components of legitimacy
To help you build your legitimacy, but also determine what would help you acquire it, here is a list of questions to ask yourself proposed by Docendi. Do not neglect any of the areas.
- The environment: is the organizational chart readable, accessible to all, known? Have I established clear rules in my team? If this is not the case, they must be formalized.
- The mission: is it clear? Is it known to the team? Is there a job description? Does my manager willingly support me, has he accepted an invitation to a meeting at my request?
- The vision: do I have a clear vision of my department? Am I able to share it, to give meaning, to make connections? Does the expression "in my opinion" form part of my vocabulary? Am I able to articulate short and long term? Do I see everything in my department? How do I remember it?
- Expertise: what expertise do I need most? Technical and/or managerial? Have I shown my availability to help my team and make it more expert? Am I able to transmit my knowledge, my know-how? Am I inclined towards more technical and/or relational things? Do I trust? Do I delegate?
- The relational: what is my real ability to establish relays, listen, question, reformulate and communicate? How much time do I spend with each of my collaborators? What do they expect from me?
Beware of the violence of power. "It is others who give you the "power to" do something, affirms Paul Siboun. Your hierarchy as well as your collaborators expect you to assume it. But you must always be careful not to confuse "power over" (based on coercion), and "power to" (based on consultation) which is the responsibility of the team leader." And if your power is perceived as illegitimate, its exercise will be perceived as coercive and violent…"
Don't say everything. Without having a cult of secrecy, and especially letting rumors run in your department or in the company, total and constant transparency towards collaborators is also not advised. "You can't say everything," confirms Paul Siboun. If, for example, the situation is difficult and a works council must be held in a week… you only need to say what you can say and encourage employees to "let their fears out."
Knowing how to "say" to assume your authority?
The time of "I want and I demand" should be over. When you have to impose something, it is advisable to use a positive and non-incantatory form. One possibility: start your sentence with "I am responsible for…".
Posted on December 15, 2008
lexpansion.com
