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Managers must walk your talk with respect to timekeeping

Shelter Chieza Change Management

Most mangers do not want to hear criticism. Employees are the same across sectors. People will never stop talking about their bosses, they will criticise you for making both good and bad decisions.

Ihave often wondered if the phrase, “We all make mistakes” really applies to every one of us.

Is it acceptable for individuals with so much responsibility like a manager, CEO or managing director to make mistakes?

They are human yes but mistakes committed at certain levels can be suicidal. Managers are often guilty of reserving comments regarding an individual performance to a later period. Companies that provide performance reviews delay feedback to concerned parties. Some subordinates are terrified of their bosses.

They are mostly located at the top end floors of buildings and have no easy access to communicate with their subordinates.

Managers are often preoccupied with meetings or are swamped with so much work to the point that they are never available for their team.

A manager must have time to meet their team regularly for reviews and deliberations. It pays to hear them out and accommodate them as much as you can.

Some managers have managed to get around this situation by allocating a certain time to meet subordinates, say between 2-4 pm or any other time suitable to them.

Management by walking around has been effective in dealing with this challenge too. Please get me right, I am not saying that the manager must spend time outside their office neglecting their duties.

Rather there must be a balance between the time they spend in their office and with their team.

There are managers that are completely detached from the workers projects and are not in touch with the progress on the ground.

Don’t take the risk of being given reports and feedback for work which you are not involved in.

It becomes even more risky if a complication develops and you are not in a position to explain to the client on the stages involved.

One of the blunders I have made as a manager is being overly friendly with a subordinate. It’s never easy to reach the “oval office” and stay there by yourself.

You sometimes need that reassurance and that kickback that informs you of the goings on at the shop floor.

I call it “mild grapevine”. This may influence you to be too friendly and too approachable. As a manager, make sure that you have set distinct boundaries between you and your subordinates.

Have a clear socialisation inclination. There will come occasions when you may have to discipline that individual and it may not be possible because of the relationship that exists between the two of you.

The responsibilities that managers have are enormous. Its impossible to put down a behavioral measure that you personally are unable to follow through and expect people to follow it.

I am often amazed by managers that are good at emphasising the importance of time keeping but never are on time themselves.

If you have written down that work starts and 8am, make sure that by 8am you are also available to start work and if the time to knock of is at 5pm then leave at that time or after that time.

It sends the wrong signal if the manger goes home before finishing time, learn to walk your talk, you gain more respect that way.

I am often amazed by managers that keep all the work to themselves and avoid delegating. Do yourselves a favour and delegate some of the work to your subordinates, that way you are also empowering and developing them.

Some tasks can easily be accomplished by your teams giving you the chance to concentrate on other pressing management issues.

Most mangers do not want to hear criticism. Employees are the same across sectors. People will never stop talking about their bosses, they will criticise you for making both good and bad decisions.

Get used to being talked about, it will never end. Being in charge and in control is never easy, you have to toughen up because it is tough up there.

What is even more challenging is that as you take up more responsibilities and roles, you are more prone to making mistakes, your plate is always full.

Spontaneous decisions have to be made all the time. Remember also that all eyes are on you at every turn, you have weaknesses but they tend to magnify as you get high up the ladder.

Ever noticed how much criticism CEOs that embezzle funds receive? It is not that junior clerks are not embezzling funds; it because crimes involving managers are more newsworthy.

Managers, remember to continuously improve yourselves even after assuming those high posts.

Leadership development is a continuous process because flaws are more noticeable the higher you climb the corporate ladder.

Till next week, may God richly bless you!

 Shelter Chieza is a Management Consultant. She can be contacted at [email protected]