Want the best out of the people you're tasked to supervise? Then lay off, don't micromanage and give them the trust and space to become leaders in their own right. You'll be amazed by the results, writes Gasant Abarder in a new SliceofGasant column.
Life is tough with rising food costs, people considering dipping into their pension funds now that has been cleared by the president and are up to their ears in debt. The last thing they want is to come to work and be anxious about how the boss is going to treat them.
I've been in management roles since I was in my late 20s. But don't mistake being a supervisor or a manager for being a leader. A leader nurtures the next tranche of leaders.
In those early days as a deputy editor of a daily newspaper, I had a lot to learn about leadership. I was emotionally immature and tried to copy my predecessor's style, who was uncompromising. It didn't work.
There was virtually no age gap with the people I was managing. I tried to be a hard case and may or may not have thrown a chair across a newsroom once but I quickly learnt that not every person you manage is the same. Some respond to an arm around the shoulder, reminding them daily that they're doing great. Others are quite happy to get a kick up the butt and a bollocking. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.
