Contrary to the popular belief, managers are more emotional than logical. This means they are governed by their emotions and feelings rather than cold logic. The examples of the same are visible almost daily in most workplaces. I am talking about the majority of managers, but not 100% of managers. There are of course managers, who have good control over themselves and their emotional responses.
In my opinion, in the majority of enterprises except for the social ones, the basic reason for business is to maximize financial returns for the shareholders and possibly, an overall growth of employees without any illegal means. If you agree with my opinion, let us check whether the managers are aware of the following facts or not?
1. A happy employee is a more productive employee.
2. Employees need encouragement to give their best.
3. Shouting or ridiculing an employee for their mistakes does not solve the problem, nor makes them knowledgeable.
4. If employees are afraid of making mistakes and their consequences, they will not take any chance and will stick on to the bare minimum defined roles. There will be no innovation or improvement in the current system.
5. In addition to the salary, employees want to be respected.
6. Employees want to be trusted, as it is needed for their self-esteem.
7. Employees want to be appreciated regularly to continue doing well.
8. No employee would like to be shouted at in front of others, and
9. A team should have similarly minded and supportive members to perform better.
I am quite confident that all managers would agree to these statements made above. This is true for all levels of employees, including middle and top management. Everyone is human and wants to be treated like a human being, even if they make occasional mistakes.
Now let us see practically what happens in organizations?
A task is being done. An employee working on the task makes a mistake, either because she is overwhelmed or ignorant or in a hurry to complete the job or whatever the reasons might be. I have my own reservations about anyone making the mistake, deliberately, and hence I am ruling that out. (Disclaimer – Some rare cases might fall in this category.)
Now, what should be the logical steps expected out of a manager on this? Definitely tackle this sensitively so that the work is completed in time, and the employee does not get disheartened completely. But the majority of managers will tend to take this opportunity to let their frustration of the task not getting completed in time, on the specific employee.
Why? Because their emotions force them to forget the logic of treating the employees with care and respect for better productivity, as listed above in points 1 to 9, even when they make mistakes.
Now, let me hear from you, whether the manager taking the employee to task on a mistake resulting in a delay in completion of the project is justified or not? Was the manager governed by logic or emotions?
Put your comments below or you can write to me at contact@rajeevaranjan.com.
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