The Hindu Business Line : Power of the positive manager

WHEN a glass of water — filled 50 per cent to its capacity — is displayed, some will say that the glass is half full, and some will say that it is half empty. So also in business life, there are people who are prone to perceive only difficulties, who are cynical about almost everything they come across. There are some others who see only opportunities, rather than obstacles; who always see the roses and not its thorns. This attitude is celebrated as the positive orientation in management.

A manager with a positive attitude is not necessarily someone who is blind to the faults in others. It is not right to allude that a positive manager will never see the negative side of things. In fact, he will not only recognise the minus aspects of an issue, but also use his skills to overcome them.

Of course, a positive manager will always try to be pleasant, and subscribe to the philosophy that a person is not fully dressed without a smile on his face. A smile may be geometrically described as the curve on the face of a person, which helps to straighten most crooked (angular) things in life. But sporting a plastic smile will give him away in no time, and generate more ill will, than goodwill.

Positive people have a propensity to focus their attention on the strengths of their colleagues. A positive manager will spend less time talking about people, and more time in solving problems, and getting things done. Executives with a positive orientation possess extraordinary self-assurance about themselves and their ability.

This does not, however, preclude them from handing over control to others, as they have no hang-ups about retaining personal power. They delegate authority and responsibility without any constraint, or compunction.

The positive manager is good at creative thinking and planning. He can be relied upon to suggest a way forward in most tricky situations — nothing seems to be an impasse for his outlook on life. Change management is an area in which a positive executive revels and thrives.

Change or challenge does not intimidate him; conversely, it enables him to expand his repertoire of skills, and transcend barriers and barricades to progress. It provides him with an opportunity to explore new vistas, enrich his experience, and augment his managerial acumen.

People associate and identify the quality of optimism with a positive orientation in management, whereas it is a different cup of tea.

An optimist is inclined to pursue a kind of blind hope, often oblivious of actual and factual circumstances. Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister of England (where the weather is so uncertain, that it rains suddenly and unpredictably) once said: " I am an optimist, but I am an optimist who carries a raincoat."

So also, the positive executive is firmly entrenched in the realistic world, and takes stock of things as they are, and not influenced by some vague caprice, or vagary of fortune.

Often, there is a discussion among management philosophers regarding certain attributes of human personality; whether there are some qualities which are natural and inborn with a person such as leadership, intelligence, bravery, and so on; or whether these qualities can be imparted and developed by training.

This "nature or nurture" debate includes the positive disposition, also, under its umbrella. Perhaps, genetics has a part to play in positive thinking which, however, is not significant when juxtaposed with the credentials of training and development.

Some people are not capable of converting their mistakes into learning experiences. Learning from a mistake warrants a keen sense of introspection, besides an ability to overcome the dent and damage to a person's self-esteem, consequent to a negative experience:

This needs a high degree of positive orientation. Perhaps, the single biggest stumbling block to learning is the fear of looking stupid in front of others.

In the climate of dog-eat-dog business competition, there is always a tendency to look at and locate the minus aspects in others, rather than their strengths. The nail that sticks up strikes the eyes first. This characteristic has its roots in the psychology of childhood — when an urge to win every time, a constant impulse to score over others, and the instinct for self-preservation are uppermost in the mind.

Whereas an executive skill which needs to be developed, particularly in the context of people management, is the art of discovering the good in others, describing it, and delivering it to them in a way, which will not only enhance their self-respect and self-esteem — without appearing to patronise them — but also encourage their partnership and participation in management.

Cynicism and satire have no place in the cultivation of a positive attitude. Employees are usually far more perceptive and insightful than the manager may think they are: A caustic and sarcastic approach will be betrayed by his non-verbal communication, which the employees will be quick to uncover. Simple and straightforward vocabulary, direct eye contact, friendly body language, and an enthusiastic inflexion of voice are useful components of the managerial tool kit in this regard.

All business organisations are concerned with performance — both corporate and individual — because performance is used to benchmark and evaluate quality, assign targets, assess the competence of employees, and compare corporate effectiveness. It is more easy and pleasant to share good news with others, than to allege and deal with their poor performance. Managing failure is difficult to do, especially so by such persons who care for others and their sentiments.

While most people would like to avoid a conflict situation in life, a competent manager with a positive orientation will be able to handle an underperforming employee with ease and equanimity.

When dealing with mediocrity, it is all too simple either to soft-pedal on the issue, or use a sledge hammer to drive the point home. The ideal method to address the issue, of course, lies somewhere in between.

As human beings, every person is made differently and, therefore, as an individual he will perceive the world differently. Acknowledging this difference, a positive manager will first try to create a congruence of perspective, between himself and the employee. The employee must be convinced to examine the problem from the other person's point of view; he ought to realise the impact of his behaviour on the performance of the other members of his team.

The next logical step will be for the manager to come to a consensus with the employee on the further course of strategy — prepare an action plan, and an agenda for improvement. In fact, if the earlier steps had proceeded properly and satisfactorily, the employee himself will spontaneously step forward at this stage and accept ownership for his improvement.

Finally, a few guidelines which will help the manager create and maintain a positive orientation. First, the manager must have a clear vision. He must know where the company is going, and he must communicate this vision to the other members of his team. Second, the manager must keep himself physically fit and healthy. There is a limit to how long a person can go on, without the quality of his work deteriorating. When this limit is trespassed too often, the positive attitude will suffer, and may even disappear altogether.

Third, all the medical advice that a manager may come across about his health and well-being is likely to include a sermon about his diet. Eating sensibly, and not skipping meals, always help to maintain a good health. Stress is a phenomenon which touches everyone: It is necessary to keep it under check and control, otherwise it will have an adverse effect on the positive attitude. The psychological fitness of a manager is as important to his positive orientation as his physical fitness.

(The author is a Chennai-based freelance writer.)

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