Written by Jake Wider from Business Insider (copyright reserved)
A core aspect of management is communication. So of course, most managers find a way to screw it up. They hold back important feedback. They fail to provide a meaningful vision or strategy. And they struggle to communicate expectations, setting people up for failure. Instead of helping people grow, they let them stagnate.
Lou Solomon, writing for Harvard Business Review, reported that 69% of managers are uncomfortable communicating with their employees. The biggest surprise about this statistic is how low it is.
Over two-thirds of managers, likely well-paid and well-trained professionals, are uncomfortable with an essential part of their jobs.
Who pays the price for this discomfort? Their employees. They don’t get quality feedback. They don’t understand expectations. And they lose opportunities to grow and improve.
I hope you’re not in this group, although unfortunately, the odds aren’t in your favor. If you are, here are some of the things that most managers will hesitate to communicate — yet things that every employee should know.
If you feel micromanaged, there’s probably a reason for it.
“Micromanagement is the motivational equivalent of buying on credit. Enjoy a better product now, but pay a hefty price for it later.” — Ron Friedman
I don’t want to micromanage anyone. I have plenty of my own work to do without adding yours to it as well. But it‘s ultimately my job to make sure that you do your job. And if I can’t trust you to do that, I’ll need to take a more active role. It’s a function of necessity, not desire.
When people find themselves in this situation, very few reflect on why their boss is micromanaging them. Everyone just thinks that their boss is a jerk who won’t leave them alone. Almost no one stops to think, “Why is she acting this way? Did I do something to make her scrutinize my work?”
Failing that, they don’t change.
Which is a real problem. Because I don’t want to micromanage anyone and I have no intention of doing it for very long. So if you don’t improve your performance, your boss is likely to find someone who will.
Choose your battles carefully.
“You don’t have to show up to every argument you’re invited to.” — Mandy Hale
In 2015, a New York lawyer tried to settle a lawsuit through trial by combat. A fight to the death seems a bit much for a civil suit, but Westeros-style justice would have been an interesting change of pace from normal court proceedings. We’ve all known people who treat every minor argument as a battle for life and death. They may get their way more often, but they make plenty of enemies in the process.
Some battles just aren’t worth it. Showing up HR may feel good in the moment, but it’ll also bring some long-term negative consequences. You might be technically right on an issue and still not come out ahead.
Before going to battle over every issue, ask yourself whether it’s worth it. Will it make a difference? Is it going to have long-term consequences? Do you have a realistic chance of winning? If you use up all of your credibility fighting battles that don’t matter, you won’t have any left to win the ones that do.
If you’re struggling, ask for help.
“Ask for help not because you’re weak, but because you want to remain strong.” — Les Brown
I once had an employee who refused to ask for help. He’d gloss over any problems, preferring to struggle in ignorance than admit that he couldn’t handle it himself. It was one of my biggest frustrations that he’d waste days on something that we could resolve in minutes.
I understand that you want to be self-sufficient. And there’s a lot of value in taking the time to research a problem and figure things out. But it doesn’t do either of us any good to have you needlessly struggling.
Asking for help’s a sign of strength if you do it right. Show your boss that you’ve done the initial research and tried. Show her that you have ideas to move forward, but need her help. Most managers are as insecure as everyone else and appreciate the chance to help out.
Your attitude matters more than you think.
“Attitude is everything, so pick a good one.” — Wayne Dyer
When you think of Ty Cobb, do you remember him as one of baseball’s great players? Or do you think of him as a jerk that didn’t get along with his teammates? It’s nice to think that everything revolves around performance. In an ideal world, every manager would epitomize Peter Drucker's advice,, “All one can measure is performance. And all one should measure is performance.”
But the reality is that we spend a lot of time at work. And managing a team can be exhausting in the best of times. Everything becomes much more difficult when someone is constantly negative or difficult to work with. Challenges that are exciting to handle with a good team become downright misery when you’re working them with a bunch of complainers.
Regardless of your performance, if you’re the office prima donna, it’s going to have a negative effect on your career. Superstars that can’t work with others never last very long. It’s the outstanding collaborators that have the most success. Those who can bring out the best in others also find that it brings out the best in themselves.
Meeting expectations is not enough.
“You either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” — Jim Rohn
The job description is not the criteria for top performance; it’s the price of entry. If that’s all you plan to contribute, you’re not doing much to differentiate yourself from everyone else. The best employees go out of their way to deliver value well beyond expectations.
- Be proactive. Stop waiting for problems to come up and figure out how to head them off. Ask yourself what could go wrong and plan for these risks.
- Initiate. The majority of people are interrupt-driven. They wait for an assignment or meeting. If you can develop the habit of creating new things.you immediately become a critical resource.
- Help those around you. Peer-driven feedback and support is an underutilized force multiplier. You’re much closer to the work and are better able to offer guidance or help someone who’s struggling. You’re also in a better position to recognize bad investments and when the company needs to pivot. Don’t underestimate the value you can add from this level.
- Make the job larger than it is. The best employees focus on expanding their responsibilities so that no job description can capture their contributions. They constantly look for opportunities to take on more responsibility or add more value. Every situation is approached from the perspective of, “How can I make this work?”
Don’t just meet the job description. Perform to a level that no job description could capture your level of contribution.
I know it’s not your fault. I also don’t care.
“Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” — Henry Ford
Most jobs are complicated enough that success or failure comes from a combination of actions. It’s rarely the result of one person’s actions. So yes, I agree that a problem is not 100% your fault. But it’s probably not 0% either. There’s almost always something that you could do better next time.
Don’t worry about finding fault. And don’t worry about minimizing your role in whatever went wrong. It’s immaterial at this point. Figure out what we can do better for next time. Then do that.
Another trait of great employees? They’re too focused on fixing the problem to waste time whining about the fault.
Working non-stop isn’t impressive.
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” — Socrates
If we occasionally need to work late, I very much appreciate it when people can make the sacrifice and help out the team. But if you’re working 24x7, then it means I’m not doing my job. It means that I haven’t balanced the workload well and I’m putting you on a path for burnout.
Or, you’re just inefficient and it takes you twice as long to get your work done. Either way, it’s not a good story. I’d much prefer that we just have a conversation on workload if you feel overwhelmed.
And I don’t care how busy you are, please don’t do other work during meetings. It implies to everyone that your work is more important than theirs. Which may be true, but then just decline the meeting.
Don’t be a Victim to Poor Communication
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
It would be great if managers were better communicators. Yet with many companies still promoting people based on technical skills rather than leadership, this shouldn’t be a near-term expectation. The majority of bosses will still struggle to communicate, and unfortunately, their employees will end up paying the price for it.
It’s important to remember that most managers want to do the right thing. They want to communicate well. They want to set the right expectations. They want to create an environment of growth.
They’re just struggling to do it.
So take the initiative. Ask questions. Push for more feedback and perspectives. Show your boss that you’re interested in understanding more about the job. Everyone has this ability. There’s no reason to let someone else’s poor communication hold you back. Other Articles on the power of numbers:
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