The Hindu Business Line : Becoming better managers

Some managers are sometimes called “damagers”. While this would, in most situations, be meant as a joke, a little probing might bring out some useful facts. If there is any truth in the data that emerges out of such probing, corrective action must be taken by managements to get the managers to think and act differently.

Identifying the cause

What can possibly cause a manager to be labelled a damager? One could be an autocratic managerial style. Sometimes, the manager might be tempted to build empires, where his chosen kitchen cabinet might be calling the shots, frustrating the professionals. There is a tendency, which is to some extent natural, to preserve knowledge and not develop subordinates.

When this happens, the manager becomes all-powerful, but his presence is required always. Even a small dislocation in his personal life will damage his reputation in office, as his subordinates cannot manage all office matters effectively in his absence.

Some managers suffer from inferiority complexes. As they do not know realise their strengths, unfair comparison with better-placed counterparts, either in the same organisation or elsewhere, leads to their under-estimating themselves. Consequently, they act as if they are victims of some bad fate — the “poor me” feelings often permeating the office.

No manager is or would like to be a “damager” by choice or by design. In fact, most of them are by nature good human beings, and often face complex problems. There are many highly qualified HR specialists who can help organisations solve the perception problems of subordinates, specifically in cases where they consider their managers “damagers”.

Such HR professionals can effectively network with a cross-section of people, and organisations would do well to use the services of such professionals.

The solution

Ensuring that no manager is or becomes a damager is as much the responsibility of the management as it is that of the individual manager. The solution should be centred around correcting perceptions. One way is to open up a channel of communication with the manager who behaves like a damager and explain to him the consequences of his behaviour, and how it impacts the morale and motivation, not only of his subordinates, but others as well. There could be situations where a tough, no-nonsense manager could be posted as the boss of the “damager”, to get him to understand that it does make sense to be more developmental in both attitude and approach.

It would also help to make the “damager” manager aware of his own strengths and not focus on the weaknesses of others. If this happens, such a manager might well change his outlook and start doing something constructive. This will enable him to explore avenues for growth that are consistent with his own strengths and enlarge his circle of influence. Doing so would win him the admiration of others in the department, and there will soon be a big change in his attitude.

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