August 2018

Which manager are you? Would your people agree?

When deadlines loom and workload increases, stress levels rise and people tend to start snapping at each other, and, as my grandmother used to say, running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

What simple thing can you do as a leader to help your team deliver under pressure?

When you’re able to stay calm and think clearly, you reduce the stress and enable the team to stay focused on the goal and work together more effectively.

You influence others. Your employees and colleagues are aware of how you conduct yourself, how you interact with your employees and with people in other parts of the organization. They watch what you do and listen to what you say about your managers, your stakeholders, your customers and your suppliers. As a leader you have enormous impact.

You set the tone for what’s acceptable. If you condone or tolerate behaviour that creates conflict and stress, you encourage a dysfunctional workplace culture. Bad behaviour can be deep-seated throughout the organization and require more to fix it than making a few personnel changes.

Gain leverage by being nice. Being nice does NOT mean being soft, passive, or a pushover. It does NOT mean trying to please everyone or get everyone to like you. Being nice means being firm, tough, and holding people accountable, yet still treating them with courtesy and respect. Being nice means getting them to do what you want without being nagging, intimidating or rude. Being nice means providing clear, direct communication that lets people know what’s expected and where they stand.

Model and encourage behaviours that foster a collaborative environment with less stress and conflict. People will communicate, cooperate and work together more effectively to deliver value.

And after all, as a leader, your job is to deliver more and more value over time, for less and less effort. You’re already good at what you do. Now Be BETTER.

Carol B. Martin is the author of “BETTER: Elevate Your Thinking and Lead for Success.” Get your copy on Amazon. Become a better leader, build stronger teams, and get more results with less effort. #BeBETTER