Soft…Real Soft: Managers need a full skill set, not just hard skills
by Lynn Lochbihler
“People don't quit their companies, they quit their bosses.” How
many times have you heard that phrase? It's rare that a corporate
entity of any size upsets an employee so much that they feel quitting
is the only option. One bad manager, however, can empty out an entire
department within weeks.
It’s all too easy to imagine a scenario where a manager doesn't have
the skills to motivate his staff or help them feel engaged. In fact,
we’ve heard of many situations where one manager brought employee
morale down so low it essentially shut down the organization!
Once employees start leaving and talking to friends and family about
their experiences at work, word quickly gets around that it was a bad
organization to work for. When something like this starts, it can very
easily snowball out of control to the point where the company is
basically shut down. Not literally, but a severe morale crisis can slow
down productivity to the point where you might as well lock up and turn
out the lights. And all because of one leader that didn't know how to
build healthy relationships with staff.
Managers have a lot of influence on individual employees and also on
the corporate culture as a whole. This influence can be either positive
or negative. When it’s negative, the organization is in serious trouble.
Approaching employees openly and honestly enables them to feel
comfortable with their manager and at ease. One of the best ways to
really engage employees is to ask them for their input to problem
solving. If you never ask them for their advice or suggestions, they
will never feel comfortable or engaged, no matter how much you pat them
on the back for a job well done or give them clear direction.
To manage people effectively, managers need to broaden their role. Not
only must they be a decision maker, but a catalyst, coach, and
facilitator as well. Many management experts say the answer is to ask
more questions and do less telling. In other words, a manager needs to
develop his or her “soft” skills just as much as the “hard” skills. For
example, a bakery manager may know everything there is to know about
the chemistry of baking and oven technology, but his soufflés will
still fall flat if he doesn’t know the ways in which his team members
differ, and which supervisory style will elicit the desired employee
behaviors and outcomes.
This is something HR professionals can help with. The right coaching
and training can turn a manager with poor people management skills into
a motivational powerhouse, encouraging and empowering staff to work
harder, reach further, and dream bigger than ever before.