Management Style in the 21st Century
The Old Way - Command and Control
Although workplaces and management styles have come a long way
in the last decade, the command and control style of management
behaviour remains common practice in many companies. This
management approach basically means that employees are told
exactly what to do, when to do it and even how it should be
done. The manager is in charge, has all the answers, and fixes
all the problems.
It's no surprise that plenty of people find this approach
demotivating, and that workplaces with a command-control style
are rated as pretty unsatisfying. When it comes down to it, none
of us really enjoys being told exactly what to do, and neither
do our employees. When people feel as though they have no say
and are given no opportunity to contribute outside of their work
tasks, then they switch off and become "disengaged".
The command and control approach is being phased out for a more
collaborative and engaging style - a "Coach" approach or being a
"manager-coach". This is a positive shift - as long as we
support our managers in understanding what on earth is meant by
a "coach approach", and how expectations of them are changing.
Coaching - What does it really mean?
The coaching profession has exploded in recent years,
diversifying across many different fields and industries. All of
these people are dedicated to helping others achieve their
goals, improve aspects of themselves or their business, or move
forwards from where they are today.
In a work environment, the role of a manager-coach can be
described as :
* achieving results and excellence through others rather than
personally taking care of things, and
* focusing on developing employees in order to achieve business
results rather than micro-managing their every move.
Adopting coaching as a management style requires managers to
help other people unlock their potential and enhance their own
performance. It's about supporting people to learn instead of
telling them what the answers are.
The mindset of the manager-coach is to create an environment
that fosters learning, independent thinking and opportunities to
contribute. The manager-coach doesn't want to be seen as a
solution provider. Rather, they want to be seen as a
facilitator, paving the way for team members to achieve their
results.
Coach managers are a role model for others. They are excellent
listeners and communicators, providing perspective and
encouragement whilst setting high standards and expectations.
Making coaching behaviours part of what you do
1. Stop thinking about employees as people that need to be
controlled or managed and give them the latitude to take actions
and make decisions. Trust is a vital component of this equation.
If you can't trust people to do their jobs well, then you either
have the wrong people in the jobs, or you have the right people
but you haven't trained them sufficiently. A third option is
that the people are properly skilled, but the manager just can't
let go.
2. Listen, listen listen. If there are unhappy or disgruntled
people in your business, you can guarantee that at some stage
they've tried to tell you what the problem is. It's likely you
weren't listening (or didn't want to listen), or perhaps your
initial reaction made the person think twice about bringing the
problem to you. Truly listening is one of the greatest skills to
develop, regardless of your role. Good listeners are genuinely
interested, convey empathy, and want to find out what's behind
the conversation. Great coaches are great listeners -without
exception.
3. Focus on developing the strengths of each employee rather
than managing merely for results. Identify each person's
development needs and commit to following through on them. When
people are growing and improving, their enthusiasm and
effectiveness is greater. And they feel more connected and loyal
to the company for supporting them.
4. Endorse effort and growth instead of pointing out failures
or errors. As individuals, we all know how seldom we are given
positive feedback, but how often we are reminded of our
"mistakes". Instead of pointing out errors, the coach-manager
accepts them as learning opportunities and uses them to develop
their employees. The focus is on making sure the same mistake
doesn't happen again by fixing the source of the problem.
5. Stop providing solutions. Managers often achieve their
positions after being technical specialists, and so will have an
opinion or view on how to "fix" situations or problems. The
mindset is that it's usually faster to tell someone what to do,
or do it yourself, than give your employees an opportunity to
figure it out. By always providing the answers, managers take
away the learning opportunity for their employees to come up
with alternative (and potentially better) ways of doing things.
If you catch yourself about to provide the answer, take a deep
breath and ask a question like: "What would you do in this
situation?"
6. As a manager, stop making all the decisions. You don't have
all the answers all of the time. Engage those around you - your
team and peers - when it comes to finding a way forwards.
Involvement breeds ownership and engagement. The more you can
find opportunities for people to contribute to the
decision-making process and encourage people to have their say,
the more your employees will feel connected and satisfied with
the company.
7. Be unconditionally constructive - no exceptions. Don't
patronise or be critical of others - take complete
responsibility for how you are heard. If you catch yourself
about to make negative remarks, take a breath and rephrase your
words to get your message across without the emotional
attachment. It is possible to phrase everything in constructive
terms - even a negative sentiment. Practice makes perfect!
8. Create an environment where people want to work with you,
and feel valued and respected. Make it clear to your employees
what they are responsible for, but give them the latitude to go
about it in their own way. In short, treat them the way you
would want to be treated.
The Wrap-Up
The true success of a leader can be measured by the success of
the people that work for them. When managers and leaders adopt a
coaching style, the productivity, motivation and satisfaction of
the employees increases, which filters through to bottom -line
results. All this makes for an engaged workforce who are
committed to giving the business as much as it is giving them.
And as an extra incentive, adopting a coaching style of
management results in a much more enjoyable workplace for
everybody!