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Every supervisor worth his salt must develop good people skills
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A letter from a reader I'll call "John" made me examine how I manage and how my employees perceive me. If you are a manager, you might also want to give it some thought.
John wrote: "I have been in the workforce for the past 40 years, mostly as part of 'labor,' and had as many as 60 to 70 supervisors. I must tell you that I have been very surprised how many fall far short when it comes to having the necessary people skills. ... Even in many large companies, people in supervisory roles have had very little or no formal training when it comes to managing others effectively.
"If I owned a business or was a part of upper management, I would require all my supervisors to complete course work in the field of supervision. I would have their subordinates turn in feedback on them as a means of monitoring how well these supervisors are filling their role."
Thanks for the reminder, John! Your comments are especially timely, given the shrinking workforce and the additional stresses placed on workers who have increased responsibilities and workloads. In addition, folks who never expected to be supervisors are finding themselves in that role as a result of layoffs, reorganizations and company needs. Such situations don't allow for much formal management training -- and problems multiply.
So what about John's concerns? Does he have a case?
Absolutely! Upper management needs to be very cognizant of the practices of the next layer of the organizational chart, or those who "accomplish the work" will be working for the competition.
I recommend several steps for supervisors at any level to keep the reporting relationship positive and focused on the company's goals.
Know your employees. Get to know them on a level that goes beyond giving orders and checking on progress. They all have lives outside the office. Do you know anything about their families, hobbies, interests and volunteer activities? I'm not advocating being nosy or intrusive, but showing some interest in people who work with you 40 hours a week seems reasonable.
Check your management style. Ask for feedback, anonymous or face-to-face, about your demands and expectations. Little things like attitude and tone of voice are not so little to people who can't seem to please you no matter how hard they try.
Play fair. There will always be employees you prefer to work with, or personalities who are easier to relate to. But your employees want to be judged by their skills and competencies.
Look to your own managers for guidance. Are there classes or seminars available to help you improve your management skills? Is the person you report to leading by bad example? Break the cycle.
Remember, you are dealing with people, not robots. You only look good if they do.
Mackay's Moral: Managers who ignore the Golden Rule will quickly tarnish their careers.
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