You have permission to publish this article in print, in your ezine or on your web site, free of charge, as long as
bylines are included and all hyperlinks remain active. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.Author Name: Linda LaPointe Contact Email Address: lapointell@yahoo.com Word Count: 901 including resource box Word wrap at 6o characters Category: Management of personnel Copyright information: © 2003 Linda LaPointe
-------------------- Invite Self-Managed Staff
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." Goethe
Two hundred years ago, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and philosopher, knew how to inspire and interact with others: recognize best in them and act upon those positive expectations. This takes conscious effort and constant vigilance to be self-aware of our actions. And we owe our fellow human beings nothing less. Successful supervisors live this sentiment daily in their connections with their fellow human beings. They believe in basic goodness of people and consciously act upon their beliefs in every contact, every day. These staffers guide people with whom they work toward self-esteem, self-confidence and self-determination.
Effective supervisors, those who develop staff who are trusted, productive and stable, assist them to become what they are capable of: self-managed, productive and trusted. This requires a combination of best of ‘soft’ skills, or how we treat people, and ‘hard’ skills, or how we engage and support their capabilities.
Supervisors are stronger in one of these skills than in another, but best supervisors become good at both and make a conscious effort toward a balance. The following ABC’s make an immediate and measurable change in workplace. The A’s and B’s, or act and believe, are soft skills in practice, and C, or coaching, employs hard skills.
A's & B's: Actions and Beliefs The seven back to basics beliefs which help us treat people way Goethe intended:
1. People are important and deserve respect. 2. Ordinary people can perform extraordinarily. 3. People deserve to be trusted. 4. People are good and want to do a good job. 5. People are self-motivated. 6. It is our job to assist others to grow and become “stars”. 7. Supervising is a humbling experience.
Wasn’t it your mother who said, actions speak louder than words? Our beliefs dictate our actions, but most of us are too busy to really take each of these and hold them up to light, inspecting their every attribute and power. We do business as usual without reconsidering our commonly accepted behaviors toward employees. Do our actions unequivocally manifest positive beliefs? Do our actions demonstrate that we believe that staff are trustworthy, or do we lock up our supplies? Do we act as if frontline staff are most important worker in our organization because they do work for which company is paid, or do we interrupt a meeting with them to take a call or make them wait for us to arrive for an appointment? Do we hover over their work or insult them with insignificant gifts or raises? Do we recognize them for their daily efforts or thank them for being at their work station so we don’t have to do their job on any given day? Do we educate them in business side of company and ask them for their opinion in big decisions? These soft skills and actions make difference between humane or harsh workplaces, between bosses to whom staff will be loyal or bosses who staff plan to leave. All actions articulate our beliefs.
