Posted by Perry
I read an article recently about a guy who was managing a play. He described how he had to be a ‘drill sergeant’ with his staff because of his relative youth and his drive to have the play succeed. He talked about how hard he was on them, and as a result, how little they contacted him whenever a problem arose because they knew he was always available – he was wrong.
This is not just my opinion, but my own personal experience talking. His staff didn’t contact him not because they knew they could, but because they didn’t want to deal with him. There is a simple fact in life and in business – no one wants to work for a dictator.
There are very driven people out there who really care about their job and how they are perceived by fellow employees – there are also people who have to have total control in their lives and careers and these are the people I’m talking about. You know them well – the ones who are constantly grumpy and talk down to you as if even the most mundane tasks are beyond your comprehension. They are perpetually stuck in the ‘I’m smarter than everyone else’ mode and no matter how good of a job you do – you can’t please them.
I’m sure this gentleman had the very best intentions insofar as the success of his play and his staff – but if I were to meet this man I would ask him this: “Do you seriously think that your staff performed brilliantly because you rode them hard, or could it be that they were just very good at what they do?”
A bit of advice here to all those ‘hard asses’ out there – being an Ogre in the workplace is counterproductive! Your staff will quickly grow weary of you, as well will your guests. Higher up management will eventually notice how you interact with employees – and they remember. The secret to being a great leader is not how loud you can yell or how hard you can be on someone – but how well you put the right people in place with the right tools to succeed.
So to this guy I say this – lighten up a bit and ease off. Your people know their jobs, just let them do it.