November 08, 2008

Listening: The Active Manager


"In business many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request."

Philip Dormer Stanhope
18th Century English Lord


This reminds me of something I've followed throughout my career. I didn't need those I worked for to always do what I thought should be done but I felt much better and worked much harder when I knew they understand what that was.

On the surface management is about making decisions, acting and telling others what to do but what about listening and in turn asking questions? Isn't listening also doing?

What percent of a manager's time should be spent telling their subordinates what to do as opposed to listening to what they have to say?

2 comments :

  1. Here's what my company learned.

    Forget digital "suggestion boxes". Employees do not trust that their comments are anonymous and either don't submit or only send in what they think will not hurt them.

    Give them a paper option and an intranet forum ideally run by a third party where they will feel what they say cannot be attributed to them unless they wish it to.

    Of greatest importance, find something you can act on that came from the employees and do so frequently publicizing to your employees that you have. There is nothing worse than them feeling their suggestions go into a "black hole" never to be taken seriously or possibly even read.

    And what if you get no suggestions worth taking? If that happens you either have the wrong employees or you have good employees who are not motivated to contribute.

    You have a completely different problem if it is the first which is unlikely. Far more likely you have not done enough to encourage their suggestions.

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  2. Telling subordinates what to do is not the problem. Telling them how to do it, is.

    Others on this site have said it well. You might be great at installing or selling but when you become a manager of people who do those things your job changes.

    If you need it done the way you do things, do it yourself but if you want it done, tell me to do it adn then get out of my way.

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