Does your contract of employment ask you to…
A couple of days ago, one of the senior managers who had participated in my session a few months ago, called me and wanted to discuss about developing his team members. His idea was to focus on the LoPots (Low Potentials) in his team. I encouraged him to encompass the whole team and said that even his HiPots (High Potentials) might need development.
For example, they might be very good in technical skills but what about other aspects like people skills?
That set him thinking and he said that, that’s indeed the case with one of his HiPot manager. His people skills were pathetic. Due to a problem in his personal life, he would usually take out all that anger on his junior team members and this manager now wanted to do something about it but didn’t know how to start the conversation.
That’s when an idea struck me and I suggested that this senior manager ask this HiPot to look at the contract of employment in his company and find if it required anybody to agree to receiving verbal abuse and harassment from their managers!
He started laughing and said that there would be no such term in any contract and yet it happens most of the time. He agreed to facilitate that discussion with his HiPot and see how it goes.
Going are the days when mere technical competence could get one to become a manager. Managerial competencies require you to have good people skills as well and that day isn't far when one has to earn the right to manage.
We agreed to discuss other aspects of the problem this HiPot was facing in his personal life and see how his own unmet and unarticulated needs behind the abusive behaviour could be understood and acknowledged.
One of the four core needs of every employee/ team member/ follower that Gallup found as part of its research on Strengths Based Leadership is Compassion. And that is a need every person has including the junior team members and the shouting manager.
Comments
Post a Comment