Act Like a Veteran Leader (even if you ARE a rookie)

by Kelly Riggs

I think people would generally agree that becoming an effective manager requires a certain amount of time.

Very few people are thrust into management and then do it exactly right, avoiding the myriad of challenges and speed bumps that inevitably confront those who lead employees. No, it takes time to acquire the experience that comes with learning from the mistakes we inevitably make. It takes time to create the disciplined habits that characterize effective managers.

On the other hand, there are actually specific things you can do to make a difference immediately – as in today. Right now. In fact, you can read this article, start practicing three simple habits, and start acting like a veteran leader (even if you are a rookie!).

The process is fairly simple.

A bulk of the inconsistent performance or sub-par performance that exists in organization is created by employees who are marginally engaged, if not outright disengaged. Undeniably, the primary source of disengagement is poor managerial leadership.

But what exactly constitutes poor “managerial leadership”? Well, that list can get pretty long, but two of the primary issues are poor communication and the consistent failure to make employees feel appreciated or valued. When employees feel unappreciated and consistently left in the dark, they don’t generally fare well, do they?

The simplest way to deal with these two very common issues is to open up and create a meaningful dialogue with your employees – a one-on-one conversation designed to actually create real communication.

Unfortunately, managers succumb to the age-old excuse that they have far too much on their plates to waste time engaging in actual conversation with employees. There are deadlines. Demanding customers. Budgets. Projects. Problems to be solved. And all of that before lunch. In the final analysis, taking the time to sit and chat with an employee is just not very high on the priority list when there are a dozen critical fires to put out at any one time.

Not to worry. The three ideas described below are simple to execute and, in the big scheme of things, while serving to improve your management leadership skills dramatically. More importantly, they may even free up some of your time, since employees generally do much better work when they are engaged.

What the Best Leaders Do

Practice No. 1: Find out what you can do to help your people succeed.

How? Well this is where it gets a little bit tricky.

You have to ask.

Yes, indeed. Just ask. It is amazing how few managers actually ask their employees what they need to be more effective in their jobs. In a Harvard Business Review article, authors Linda Hill and Kent Lineback suggested what they believe is the most important question a manager can ask their employees:

“What can I do to help you be more effective?”

If it’s not the most important question you can ask, it has to be in the top three or so. Assuming you have some semblance of a relationship with your employees; i.e., they will typically be willing to share a thing or two that will really make a difference in how they perform. Additionally, you can be a little considerate towards them and provide them with resources for proper health and safety. For instance, for workplace safety, you can supply your employees with safety gear and gloves that can be available at Unigloves website or similar online platforms. This can make employees appreciative of you and your kindness.

Taking this thought a step further, it could easily be the question you ask at every one-on-one meeting, before every new project, or during every performance review. If you are serious about making your people more effective, you will ask. And then you will take great pains to deliver what they need. On a similar note, positive reinforcements such as appreciation can help employees to be more effective in their work. Make it a practice to include encouraging and positive performance review phrases in the feedback of your employees during their performance review meetings. This can help develop a favorable mindset among employees resulting in a dynamic work environment.

Practice No. 2: Give your people permission to push back.

The chief cornerstones of employee engagement is communication. Communication, however, means dialogue. It means a two-way conversation; a conversation where an employee feels comfortable offering ideas and opinions.
Sadly, many managers are not comfortable with that idea. They certainly aren’t comfortable with someone disagreeing with their ideas.

Caryl Stern, the current CEO of UNICEF, doesn’t see things that way. She told New York Times Business Day columnist Adam Bryant that allowing her employees to challenge her thinking was a critical component in her success as a leader.

“I tell the people who work for me when I hire them: “If you work for me, you’re going to hear what I’m thinking. You can push back, and I’m going to listen when you push back.” My staff doesn’t have to worry, “Is she angry? Is she happy? Is she contemplating?” They know where they stand. They know what I want. They know what makes me happy. I know what they want.”

In a hierarchical relationship (teacher-student, manager-employee, etc.), meaningful dialogue has to be invited and encouraged. Make someone feel stupid and you will shut it down. Ignore other people’s ideas and the dialogue will fade away. But allow people to voice their ideas, rationally and respectfully, and you may improve performance in ways that you never considered.

News Flash: You may be the manager, but one thing is for sure – you don’t know everything.

Practice No. 3: Challenge the status quo.

Most managers don’t want any part of this.

Why? Because challenging the status quo means change. Change is work. And there is already plenty to do without adding even more work.

While it is quite true that challenging the status quo may mean more work, failing to challenge the status quo can substantially limit a team’s effectiveness. That’s why successful CEOs consistently challenge the way things are done:

“In business, the big prizes are found when you can ask a question that challenges the corporate orthodoxy,” said Andrew Cosslett, the C.E.O. of the InterContinental Hotels Group. “In every business I’ve worked in, there’s been a lot of cost and value locked up in things that are deemed to be ‘the way we do things around here.’ So you have to talk to people and ask them, ‘Why do you do that?'”

Managers must take care to do this in a positive way rather than making employees feel as if they aren’t doing well. Asking this question right is all about the attitude with which you ask it. On the other hand, this will often happen quite naturally just by adopting No. 2 above. When employees feel comfortable pushing back, they will often point out things that could be done better, faster, or with less cost without being asked.