Rules Of Management

RULE 87 - Don’t intimidate

“In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.”

Dereke Bruce

Being a manager gives you authority and power, no doubt about that. Perhaps that’s what separates good managers like you from rubbish ones. You know how to handle that power and you don’t abuse it.

People will look up to you as a manager, respect you and even fear you. You have the power of unemployment or work over them and they will be aware of that in all their dealings with you. But you have to try and overcome that by getting them to trust you. Always be predictable so that they know where they are with you at all times and you don’t frighten then by talking them unawares. You mustn’t abuse your position by intimidating your team.

Yes, there are two ways of getting things done – fear and reward – and a lot of managers choose the first because they feel under-confident, unsure and uncertain. Unlike you they aren’t at ease with themselves and this shows up in a threatening or bullying attitude towards their staff. We ought to pity them – or, if we work under such a boss ourselves, try and get them better trained. Perhaps leave a copy of this book lying around for them to stumble on accidentally?

A lot of managers don’t know that their attitude sets the standard for how their staff treat each other and their customers. If they see a manager who is kind and co-operative, rewarding to work for and confident, it rubs off and they, in turn, act the same way towards each other and towards customers as well.

Working this way makes life easier and more productive. It’s so much better to work in an organization where reward is used instead of fear to get things done.

“It’s so much better to work in an organization wher reward is used instead of fear to get things done.”

posted by Right Ranger @ 9:31 PM