The following are a list of 5 things that a manager should do. The quotations say a lot and there are followed by few concrete activities for the managers. Manager and teacher have a lot of similar responsibilities.
1. Respect them
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(Replace child with team member AND teacher with manager – in the following quotes) “A child cannot be taught by anyone who despises him, and a child cannot afford to be fooled.” ~ James Baldwin “All children are gifted. Each individual child is a treasure chest, full of potential. The right teacher is needed to unlock them.” ~ Robert Buesing “No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he himself believes to be of value.” ~ Bertrand Russell
How can a manager show that he respects his team member? By listening to him, by treating him as a friend, by reprimanding him with dignity, by praising him with enthusiasm, by scolding him with restraint.
2. Teach them Self-appreciation
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(Replace child with team member AND teacher with manager – in the following quotes) “A good teacher teaches a child the three R’s: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. A better teacher teaches a child the three C’s as well: Cooperation, Commitment and Compassion. But the best teacher teaches the child the three S’s: Self appreciation, Self-confidence and Strength of character. For if you have the last three, you can love yourself. And if you love yourself, all you need is a gentle push to love others, which your self-confidence provides.” ~ Kim Mascarenhas “Believing in a student, especially when others do not, may just be the answer for this student to learn to believe in himself and understand what it feels like to be believed in.” ~ Debra Kammerlander
As a manager you can increase a team member’s Self Image: By talking positive sentences, by encouraging them in their efforts, by allowing them to voice their fears and their self-doubts, by helping them respect each other, by speaking well of those in authority – at office, at home, in the government and in the world in general.
3. Touch their feelings
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(Replace student with team member AND teacher with manager – in these quotes) “Nine tenths of education is encouragement.” ~ Anatole France “The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams.” ~ Sidney Madwed “In our work with students it’s the quality of our relationship with them, not the content we teach, that is the most significant element determining our effectiveness.” ~ Carl Rogers “Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.” ~ Annie Sullivan “One looks with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.” ~ Carl Jung
As a manager you can touch the feelings of the team members by doing the following:
Allow for 2-way interactions at least once a week This could be one-on-one sessions with manager and individual team members or group sessions, organized in the form of story-telling and exchange of tips and best practices about how the team members do their activities, what short-cuts they have devised, how they relax.
Arrange mentoring relationships The best way to learn is to teach others. When the high performers mentor the low or average performing staff, both of them benefit. The high performers find greater clarity when they explain the subject matter. The low performers also learn better since he can be more relaxed in the presence of his colleague whom he admires and likes. It is good if there are mentoring guidelines and rewards available at organization level to recognize the contributions made by these high performers towards team success.
4. Be a Stellar Example
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(Replace child with team member AND teacher with manager – in the following quotes) “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another; it is the only means.” ~ Albert Einstein “The situation of our youth is not mysterious. Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. They must, they have no other models.” ~ James Baldwin “To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler — and less trouble.” ~ Mark Twain “The successful person is one who is able to take their talents and invest them in the business of living in a manner that leads to the accomplishment of a full life of service.” ~ Sol Roth “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” ~ Robert Frost “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ~ William Arthur Ward “The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence.” ~ Amos Bronson Alcott
The best example a manager can set is when he does his duty well.
Be regular – track, plan and re-plan regularly Create a schedule with inputs from the team; list out the risks and issues, track these to closure. Effective Risk Management will help lower stress levels for the project and hence for the team members too. See my article “Risk Management Reduces Project Fires” for further information on dealing with risks.
Be serious about the problems, issues that the team faces. Negotiate with all parties towards a win-win solution.
Be available for discussions and counseling – do not be `busy’ all the time.
5. Encourage Questions
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(Replace child with team member AND teacher with manager – in the following quotes) “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” ~ Eugene Ionesco Decouvertes “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” ~ Alvin Toffler “A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on a cold iron.” ~ Horace Mann
As a manager you could:
(a) Arrange Get-together with HR, Admin staff, Top Management to clear the pending issues or at least have regular escalation points with these important entities.
(b) Anonymous Q&A sessions – Many employees will feel intimidated, scared, fear fall from peer’s esteem in case their question is `stupid’: therefore you could arrange for the students to post their queries in a few well-placed boxes. Volunteers can also go around and collect the queries from the students.
(c) Counselor available – 3rd party: best would be a volunteer manager from another team. You could set up a mutually beneficial exchange plan where you counsel the 2nd team & that team’s manager counsels yours.
Naseem Mariam is the editor of “Management that Soars” Newsletter & author of “Project Serenity – How to gain happiness and peace”. Her ritings draw life from her 18 years experience as software Project Manager. Let her guide you towards Faster All Round Success and a Stress Free, Joyous Life. Her free ebook and Newsletter tell You How. Subscribe with mailto:projectdioxide@sendfree.com Visit her at http://www.123projectmanagement.com
