CAN MANAGERS DITCH FEAR & GROW RESPECT?

In my last blog IS FEAR EVER A USEFUL SUBSTITUTE FOR RESPECT  I wrote about the damage that can be caused within organisations when fear is used as a management tool, and that unless there is radical and determined lead from the executive, attempts to combat the problem will be futile.

If, however, there are instances of individual managers using fear and intimidation to get what is mistakenly referred to as ‘the best’ out of their people, the situation can possibly be remedied by means other than simply firing the head of that department: a manager who is successfully ‘turned’ can be a powerful asset.

NOT DWELLING ON THE ‘WHY’
Management by intimidation, rather than being a demonstration of personal strength is, in fact, the complete opposite. More often than not it is often a sign of deeper, inner flaws generally dwelling among ones personal learnt behaviour and social conditioning. However, looking for the ‘why’ is for another discussion; here we are interested in finding the best way of transforming an unhappy and low performance environment into a team that is engaged, motivated and with a spring in its step.
 
FEAR MISUNDERSTOOD
Very often weak managers do not even know they are doing anything wrong claiming that it’s necessary to ‘crack the whip’, ‘bang a few heads together’, ‘kick ass’, ‘they may not like me but this isn’t popularity contest’ – do any of these sound familiar? Such managers fail to understand that:

-       Leading and managing through respect is not easy, if it were, then everyone would be able to do it.

-       People do not actually fear you – they fear how your temporary authority within an organisation can impact upon them.

-       If a bad manager is replaced then, like a shamed bully, fear of that person evaporates. Such managers fool themselves if they believe they are ‘strong’

TOP 'DOS' OF GOOD MANAGERS
In a healthy corporate environment, managers employing fear as part of their ‘skill set’ are very easy to spot and there are long lists of dos and don’ts to assist in spotting weak managers. Below are just a few measures needed to grow respect and kick fear into row ‘Z’. Also included is a 'trip wire', a ‘tell’, to look out for either in managers, or even in ourselves.

PRIORITISE
Trip wire: being caught up in the minutiae. The desire to micro-manage is not a substitute for the real thing – and feeling busy does not necessarily equate to productivity. Let your team see you managing your own role and that will help them to define their own.

BUILD A STRONG TEAM
Trip wire: feeling threatened by high performing subordinates. Have the confidence to encourage and help talent – it reflects well on the team and manager alike. If a strong candidate is destined for higher things then let them grow – this kind of strength of purpose will be very attractive to subordinates.

TRUST YOUR TEAM
Trip wire: if you think or utter ‘if you want something doing right, do it yourself’, stop in your tracks. Trust your people to do the job well and if they cannot then train them! If they’re treated like adults they WILL respond – trust them, and they will trust you back.

A ‘BLAME FREE’ ZONE
Trip wire: When problems occur and the first reaction is ‘who’s at fault?’. In this case blame is on the agenda and it has to go! The response needs to be: understand what happened, get it put right & ensure everyone learns the lesson. A team afraid of making mistakes will lose all imagination and creativity.

FEEDBACK
Trip wire: sensitivity to positive criticism. A ‘feedback culture’ in a team breeds trust. Train your people in its appropriate use and it becomes a real plus for management and environment building.

STRUCTURE THE WORKING DAY  
Trip wire: complaining about being busy. Is it busy or hectic? The former makes money, the latter loses it. The last person out of the office is not necessarily the most productive – in fact that twighlight competition as well as unproductive, can just look silly.

TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING No trip wire required here. All of the greatest & most successful teams and organizations have this tenet at their heart, so surely there must be something in it. This is one of management’s greatest responsibilities towards boardroom and staff alike – to make sure that the company’s most precious resource is in the best possible condition to deliver. If the staff are not being trained then they are losing edge, and in the 21^st Century business environment, that edge (or lack of it) can be enough to decide the issue.  

Alan Keyse is a fully qualified Business and Life Coach who now applies his 30 years of experience as a sales executive to coaching, helping business leaders, executives, managers and their staff to create a healthy, stress free environment so boosting their bottom line.

Alan Keyse

keysforliving.co.uk

email Alan

IS FEAR EVER A USEFUL SUBSTITUTE FOR RESPECT?

Following on from a recent blog about the benefits of acknowledging weakness , a blind alley that individuals, managers and organisations need to be aware of is when fear is confused for respect. 

Actually, such confusion should never arise as they are so completely different, but alas it is all too common. Fear, if unchecked, can create and spread a sense of malaise within a corporate body that can, at best, impede growth and at worst will wreak havoc within the entire structure of an organisation. Pretty soon, management and staff can find themselves operating in the blind: a culture of fear.

HARD TIMES, TOUGH CALLS
In recent times, many companies and organisations, large and small, have found themselves in a position when difficult decisions needed to be taken in order to ensure survival and growth (albeit modest). Such measures impact in a very personal way on the lives of individuals be it restructuring, cost savings, maximising on synergies etc. That is not in question here - a good entrepreneur at some point will have to take decisions that require a strong stomach - they are there to lead, even in the teeth of the storm.

  
FEAR IS NOT FAST TRACK RESPECT

Managing through fearful times is not the same as using that fear as a tool of management. That is a poor substitute for leadership, in fact, it indicates a lack of any leadership at all. If management by fear becomes a de facto policy, we should ask on which planet would a negative, vulnerable and scared workforce operate better than one that is positively motivated, focused and inspired - recession or no?

A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts

SENECA

WHEN THE TIDE TURNS

When the ethos of excess pressure and fear (aka bullying) exists then this is a sign that troubled times lie ahead – and such a culture will begin to display structural flaws most particularly when an economy begins to emerge from recession: 

• An organisation's strongest and most able people will be gone at the earliest opportunity (if it has not already happened) – with predictable results
• The chances of enticing high achievers will be jeopardised. How can a business take full advantage of increased opportunities when it's most able people work for the competition? 
• Leadership through fear is like 'one club golf' and has no inbuilt flexibility and a very limited life span. 
• Shaking off the effects of a fear culture takes time and radical change – but since when did the world of business and opportunity proceed at a leisurely pace?

      If fear runs through an organisation there is very little that can be done without a radical and imaginative approach from the executive. This has to come from the top and starts with the core values of the boardroom. A good executive can lead it's people through the toughest times but once opportunities become more plentiful, the whole corporation will come into its own.

In the depth of winter 

I finally learned that there was in me 

an invincible summer

ALBERT CAMUS, French Nobel Prize winning writer

In the next blog we shall look closely at how individual managers, regardless of the scale of their responsibilities, can maintain awareness of their performance and in doing so ensure that their people are lead and not pushed.

Alan Keyse is a fully qualified Business and Life Coach who now applies his 30 years of experience as a sales executive to coaching helping business leaders, executives, managers and their staff to create a healthy, stress free environment so boosting their bottom line.

Alan Keyse

keysforliving.co.uk

email Alan

CAN ACCEPTING A WEAKNESS BE BENEFICIAL?

weakness

noun

1.

the state or condition of being weak.

synonyms: frailty, feebleness, enfeeblement, puniness, fragility, delicateness,

delicacy,

2.

a disadvantage or fault.

Synonyms: Fault, flaw, defect, deficiency, weak point/spot, failing, foible,

Shortcoming, imperfection, blemish, chink in one’s armour

THE POPULAR VIEW

When such definitions and synonyms are combined with a western puritan work ethic, there is little wonder why our culture and society views weakness – and in particular admitting we have any – with such negativity. In many areas of our lives weakness it is seen as, quite simply, unacceptable. No where is this more pronounced than in the world of business where accepting weakness is often regarded as kryptonite.  Ours is a ‘can do’ society where individuals ‘in control’, or those who make things happen, especially in the teeth of a storm, are greatly admired.

Real life strategies, especially at work, need more than gung-ho attitudes to stay the course

THE DAMAGE WITHIN

A problem we face is that we pften fear our weaknesses and seek to keep them hidden  – sometimes even from ourselves. Such negativity thrives in the dark corners of our consciousness and if left to its own devices it festers and grows. Many believe that if they admit to a weakness they will be judged and criticised by their peers (as if those same peers do not possess weaknesses themselves). The internal corrosion of fear and self-judgment, and the stress and anxiety it creates, is not only damaging to our health, but is also completely unnecessary.

ACCEPTING WEAKNESS

The acceptance of weakness has to be clearly defined. Surely we all accept the fact that we are not going to be good at everything. Our abilities, our thoughts and actions, all have their ups and downs. Weak points are inevitable, but accepting that fact does not mean we are giving in to, or indulging, a flaw – it is a simple matter of reality and the sooner we grasp that fact the sooner we can get on and do something about it.

If we ignore where we’re vulnerable, rest assured our competitors will not

In businesses one so often hears military and sporting metaphors being used, but many ignore an attitude to weakness prevalent in elite sport and the military: they ignore it at their peril. They may wish to conceal any weaknesses from a tactical point of view, but behind the scenes their attitude to weakness is realistic, pragmatic with a very practical and up-beat outlook.

THE BENEFITS OF ACCEPTING WEAKNESS

• Once accepted, a weakness can be more easily quantified, understood and then work can begin to do something about it – a small piece at a time if necessary
• There is no longer a hidden fear linked to our most vulnerable points as we begin to rise to the challenge of addressing them
• When weaknesses comes to light, be grateful. Knowing they are there is half the battle because whether we like it or not, they’re there
• Being more intimately acquainted with the topography of our abilities and character makes us better equipped to face life on our terms. After all, if we know where the ditches are we can avoid driving into them
• Enormous motivation and forward momentum comes from tackling a weakness as opposed to ignoring it
• Whether weaknesses are neutralised, contained, or even removed altogether, we can then concentrate on the game winner: playing to our strengths.

If we do not manage our weaknesses, we can be certain that, 

sooner or later, they WILL manage us.

We hone our strengths and seek to perfect them as they are our vanguard in life. But improving a weakness, even by a few points can raise our whole performance right across the board.  

Alan Keyse is a fully qualified Business and Life Coach who now applies his 30 years of experience as a sales executive to coaching Emotional Intelligence to business leaders, executives, managers and their staff either in one-to-one sessions, in groups, or speaking to larger audiences. 

Alan Keyse

keysforliving.org

email Alan