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It has been many years since I went to a high performance workshop that a close friend and colleague of mine was delivering to some leaders at a Fortune 500 company. I was so looking forward to the opportunity because it meant that for one of those few times I could sit, listen, observe and enjoy without being in the front of the room. All of my happy energy turned toward the dark side, though, when my friend followed his “hello” comments with something like this…I don't normally do workshops the way I'm going to do this one today; I have a preferred approach and I can't use it today because…the rest of what he said did not matter, I thought. He had just discounted himself and what he was going to spend the morning doing. He had lowered the audience expectations. Do you think that I'm overreacting? Were they going to be as involved in the learning? I don't think so.
When we were kids and were choosing teams for a game didn't you pick the kids you thought were the best at the game you were going to play? At work don't you want to have on your permanent or temporary team the people who can execute the skill sets that you need for the task(s)?
Of course, you would. No one wants to hear that you might be a weak link, especially on occasions when the task has already been performed and you were being complimented. It's even worse when leaders start discounting and devaluing in front of each other, direct reports, vendors, regulators, etc. I would find it hard to work for someone who thinks that success increases through discounting.
So, what can be done about this? We certainly don't want to work with people who speak about discounting their actions? It's just not good to devalue yourself to others. When someone compliments you, just say what a famous American once said, “thank you very much”.
Despite your best efforts an occasional discounting may occur. My response has normally been to respond to a discounting episode with a positive statement to counterbalance the discounted statement. I do not make a big deal about it. I don't want to embarrass anyone. One counterbalancing statement is enough. I do make it an issue though a personal and private one, when a colleague continues to discount herself. It is not good for the organization's culture and individual success.
Of course, if I am aware or become aware that the person really has a performance deficit in a certain arena I prevent discounting from occurring by not allowing a scenario to develop that would be discomforting I give a different assignment. Perhaps a very wise move here would be to recommend a good book or some training so that a weakness becomes a strength, something to cheer about. I would do the same for myself, reading or training to eliminate any potential for devaluing or discounting.
THREE GUIDELINES TO LIVE AND WORK BY:
If you are seeking a promotion or when you are applying for a new position, it is best that you do some soul searching about your management and leadership philosophy before you go to the interview. Similarly, when business graduates go for job interviews, especially for supervisory or leadership positions, they are likely to be asked about their personal values and management philosophy. The reason this is important is because your deeply-held values and management philosophy will drive your behavior in the workplace.
Of course, most people will believe in the values of honesty, integrity, hard work, strong work ethics, customer service, the Golden Rule of treating others the way you want to be treated, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and other such commonly talked about concepts. At the meantime, it is best if you can personalize such values into your management philosophy.
In this short article, I want to share a few of my philosophies regarding change by listening, learning, leadership, and role modeling good service in the workplace. A person’s deeply-held values and philosophy might encourage and force others in the department to bring about positive changes. The reality is that without timely and relevant change, you cannot get to where you want to be. Furthermore, change management requires effective leadership and understanding the needs of employees by learning their needs, wants and feelings about the job. In this regard, as possible examples, let me share five practical management philosophies that can be internalized and applied by current and aspiring entrepreneurs and managers.
For new graduates and aspiring managers, it is best that you internalize philosophies that are fully aligned with your personal beliefs and values. Always remember to be authentic since as a leader and manager, you serve as a role model of what you expect from others. In a way, employees become your social mirror. If you don’t like how your employees are acting and behaving, then it might time to change your management philosophy and, thereby, behavior toward others in the department or company. For a short presentation of these philosophies, watch the video in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rvQLNWTfk
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