Are you a boss or a leader?
"Almost all American managers are so convinced that they "know' why the
people they manage behave the way they do that it never occurs to them
that they could be wrong," says William Glasser in his book, "The Control
Theory Manager."
Glasser contrasts boss-managers to lead-mangers.
Boss-managers, like self-confident autocrats, set performance
standards, tell workers what to do, rely heavily on inspection and use
force to make people do as they are told.
Glasser reasons that lead-managers are more likely to obtain the twin
results of high quality and high morale. Lead-managers exhibit four
characteristics.
- [] Open, ongoing discussions. Lead-managers discuss with employees "how to reduce costs," "how to improve quality," and "what is needed for success."
Managers talk, and they also listen. Employees also talk and listen. Managers and employees, thus, become as one team with common goals.
- [] Show, not tell. Lead-managers do not necessarily tell employees how to do a job. Rather, lead-managers show employees how. Lead-mangers demonstrate rather than train.
"I know what my manager expects," explains an employee of a lead-manager. "He showed me exactly how he wanted the job done by doing it himself."
- [] Reduce inspection. Whereas bosses believe in tough, independent inspection of work, lead-managers actually abolish most inspection positions. Managers, rather, encourage employees to do their own inspection. Employees become more responsible for the quality of their work, and they are more accountable.
- [] Constant improvement. Lead-managers value improvement, and they instill that value in employees. Managers provide employees with both the tools and support for improvements. The entire team focuses on "How can we do it even better?" rather than "We have improved a lot."
Management quiz
Circle all of the following that apply to you.
- [] Discuss with employees more than tell employees.
- [] Actively encourage employee suggestions on improvements.
- [] Show, rather than tell, people how to do their jobs.
- [] Try hard to model good performance.
- [] Downplay the independent inspection process.
- [] Encourage employees to evaluate their own work.
- [] Instill in employees the need for constant improvement.
- [] Provide employees the tools they need for improvement.
- [] Am friendly and non-coercive with employees.
- [] Believe that it is ineffective to blame workers for poor quality.
Seven or more checks suggests that you agree with Glasser's concept of leader management.
Source:The Tampa Tribune - July 30, 1995 - Knight-Ridder Newspapers
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