LEADERSHIP | How to avoid 8 common managerial pitfalls
LEADERSHIP | To attain peak performance at the workplace, managers must learn how to do the right things right with and through other people.
The basic managerial functions are planning, organising, leading and controlling. Based upon my consulting and training experiences over three decades, there are eight common managerial errors.
1. Know-it-all attitude
Many managers are guilty of adopting the “know-it-all” attitude. I have come across bosses who insist on being right despite all the facts being against them.
There are others who turn a deaf ear to suggestions from subordinates and insist on things being done their way. Such an attitude not only demonstrates lack of emotional maturity but also results in the loss of credibility on the part of the manager.
Managers must realise that it pays to listen and learn from subordinates because they know their jobs best. Managers must also be humble enough to admit mistakes and take appropriate action to rectify the situation.
Employees must be encouraged to provide constructive criticism without fear of any negative consequences. Organisations can do away with “yes-men” who are the greatest enemy of...
LEADERSHIP | To attain peak performance at the workplace, managers must learn how to do the right things right with and through other people.
The basic managerial functions are planning, organising, leading and controlling. Based upon my consulting and training experiences over three decades, there are eight common managerial errors.
1. Know-it-all attitude
Many managers are guilty of adopting the “know-it-all” attitude. I have come across bosses who insist on being right despite all the facts being against them.
There are others who turn a deaf ear to suggestions from subordinates and insist on things being done their way. Such an attitude not only demonstrates lack of emotional maturity but also results in the loss of credibility on the part of the manager.
Managers must realise that it pays to listen and learn from subordinates because they know their jobs best. Managers must also be humble enough to admit mistakes and take appropriate action to rectify the situation.
Employees must be encouraged to provide constructive criticism without fear of any negative consequences. Organisations can do away with “yes-men” who are the greatest enemy of productivity improvement.
2. Criticising employees in public
Criticise in private and praise in public is the most commonly violated basic management principle.
All employees yearn to be appreciated for doing a job well but often end up being criticised by their bosses in front of others. Public criticism not only engenders ill-feelings but also kills whatever little enthusiasm the employees have.
Some managers take great pride in humiliating their subordinates publicly to boost their ego. Managers must always remember that any constructive criticism should be done in private and subordinates are given a chance to explain. Constructive criticism must also be job-related, specific, well-timed and impersonal.
3. Lack of regular work performance feedback
Another common failing of most managers is not providing regular performance feedback to their subordinates.
Many managers make the mistake of treating performance feedback as a once-a-year formal process – only during the annual performance appraisal interview. Many managers, particularly Asians, feel uncomfortable providing negative performance feedback to their subordinates. They also tend to hold back positive feedback.
Regular performance feedback is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, employees are generally keen to know how well they are performing in the eyes of their superiors. If they are not performing according to expectations, they can take remedial action to improve their work performance without waiting for the annual appraisal interview.
Secondly, research has shown that objective feedback enhances work performance of employees. Thirdly, feedback motivates employees when it is positive.
Performance feedback should be a continual process. Managers should continually provide informal work performance appraisal – point out mistakes made by subordinates, help subordinates rectify errors, and praise them for a job well done.
In this regard, the yearly performance appraisal should not contain any “surprises” for the subordinates. To be effective, feedback should be objective, timely, specific, impersonal, helpful to the subordinate, and tactful in the case of negative feedback.
4. Taking good work for granted
Taking good work for granted is a serious mistake committed by many managers. Managers have the tendency to withhold praise for a job repeatedly well done but are quick to criticise even if it is poorly done once.
An ex-colleague of mine had an unpleasant experience with her boss. Nine out of 10 times, she did her job well but the boss did not utter a single word of praise. She bungled once and the boss blew his top which finally led to her resignation. In her own words, “I would rather earn a lower salary than work for an ungrateful boss.”
The lesson of this incident is simple. Managers must be quick to praise and slow to criticise. Never take good job performance for granted. Simple praise such as “good job, keep it up!” goes a long way in motivating employees to further improve their job performance.
5. Showing favouritism
Another common managerial error is showing favouritism. I know of one CEO who almost wrecked an organisation by giving meritorious service awards to his undeserving favourite employees.
Favouritism demotivates employees and eventually leads to decreased productivity. Managers must always be fair to all employees and reward them based on work performance, and not on race, gender, personality or looks.
6. Lack of planning and preventive measures
Another common error committed by managers is poor planning and not practising preventive management. They do not prioritise their goals; fail to develop proper action plans to attain predetermined goals; overlook measures to prevent problems from occurring; and do not have contingency plans. In short, they are reactive instead of being proactive.
Planning is every manager’s job and the need for it exists at all levels. Planning plays a critical role in enhancing organisational and managerial performance. Planning provides a clear sense of direction; helps to identify opportunities and to anticipate problems; and it facilitates optimum utilisation of resources. Indeed, the other managerial functions of organising, leading and controlling depend on good planning.
To ensure effective planning, managers should establish goals, prioritise the goals, and develop action plans to attain them. Goals should be verifiable, specific, attainable, time-bounded and mutually agreed upon with subordinates.
Goals can be prioritised according to the following three major categories:
a) ‘Must do’ goals which are critical to organisational or departmental performance.
b) ‘Should do’ goals which are necessary for improved performance but can be deferred if necessary.
c) ‘Nice to do’ goals which are desirable but not critical for improved performance and can be postponed indefinitely or eliminated.
Another effective priority-setting tool is the Pareto Principle or 80/20 Rule. Managers should focus their attention on 20 percent of the activities which can contribute towards 80 percent of the desired results.
Finally, managers should also be proactive. Quality should be built into the work processes to prevent problems or defects from occurring. Managers should also prepare contingency plans – how to respond if the original plans don’t work out.
7. Not letting subordinates know what is expected of them
Some managers are guilty of not letting their subordinates know exactly what is expected of them in terms of accepted behaviour and work performance. This often results in interpersonal conflict, low morale among subordinates, and loss of valuable time spent on completing irrelevant tasks.
Managers must let subordinates know what their jobs are, why their jobs are important, how they fit into the organisation’s operations, and what results are generally expected of them. These actions are likely to motivate subordinates as they make them feel important and promote a sense of belonging.
8. Failing to develop subordinates
Some managers overlook their role in developing their subordinates due primarily to their preoccupation with climbing up the corporate ladder. They often view subordinates as mere tools in ensuring the attainment of their personal goals.
Subordinates are appreciative of superiors who take a special interest in their personal development and promotion. This is particularly important for competent and achievement-oriented subordinates.
Managers should promote subordinate self-development through delegation of challenging tasks, relevant training, job enrichment, job rotation, and participation in the decision-making process related to their work.
To conclude, it is wise for managers to evaluate objectively how many of these eight common managerial pitfalls are they guilty of committing. Subsequently, they should determine the action steps to obliterate these pitfalls and to enhance their managerial performance.
RANJIT SINGH MALHI is a widely-quoted authority on self-leadership, peak performance and soft skills. He has written six books on personal excellence, soft skills and management, three of which have been translated into Arabic.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
