Managers Are The Gateway

Managers contend with a tremendous amount of responsibility and have an infinite amount of expectation sitting on their shoulders.  They’re expected to put out fires, manage projects, make sure people are getting to work on time, implement procedures and processes, prepare performance evaluations, resolve conflicts, ensure employees are properly trained, provide progress reports to their superiors, be accountable for any failures or mistakes on the part of their employees, execute the overall mission of the organization on a day-to-day basis, align employees with organizational goals, and a million other things.

Now that’s a pretty exhaustive list and I only scratched the surface.  Nevertheless, in addition to the significant amount of responsibility, managers also have a significant amount of power.  Think of this - managers have the extraordinary opportunity to develop an individual, both professionally and personally.  Managers have the extraordinary opportunity to empower an individual; to help them become a leader.  After all, it takes leadership to develop leadership.  

Therefore, the communication that takes place within the manager-employee relationship should be just as much about connectivity, empowerment, and employee development...as it is about productivity.

The interaction between a manager and his or her employee(s) has the potential to be so much more than task-oriented communication or performance evaluations.  Each relationship individually, has the ability to impact an organization, collectively.  You want to minimize turnover, foster healthy work environments, and ensure that employees realize they are valued and seen as assets to your organizations; well I say...start with here.

Give Your Boss A Chance

Have you ever left a company, transferred, or just flat out quit a job because of a not-so-great relationship with your manager? Do you call your best, significant other, or any relative willing to listen to you vent about your boss day after day, the moment you get off work?  Do you drive to work with knots in your stomach at the mere thought of interacting with your boss?  

If any of these struck a chord, it's okay.  But, I want to ask you one more question.  Have you ever had at least one honest conversation with your boss to discuss how you feel?

Everyone vents or complains to co-workers, family members, and friends about their bosses.   Nothing wrong with that.  Plus, it helps clear your head. Getting things off of your chest is always better than allowing them to sit and fester. Not to mention seeking feedback from a third-party; someone that can be provide objective input, is a great way to ensure that you’re evaluating the situation from all angles...not just your own.

Nevertheless, there’s one critical step that you can’t neglect to do - talk with your manager directly.  At some point, you have to include them in the conflict/issues resolution process.  Believe it or not, they may not have any idea as to how their actions are coming across or being received.  As crazy as it is to imagine, it's very possible that your boss doesn't wake up every morning plotting your personal demise.

Before you know it though...many of us are on Indeed and CareerBuilder looking for another job, because we’ve already made up our minds about our boss; we've judged them without ever sitting down and discussing our frustrations.

Whomever you vent to about your boss; no matter how insightful they might be, they’re not the person you need to talk to ultimately.  They’re not the person you’re frustrated with.  They’re not the person stressing you out, or the reason you're looking for another job.  

If you are having problems with your boss; if you have complaints or issues with them - have a direct conversation.  You at least owe it to yourself to let them know how their actions have impacted you.  And, you owe your boss the chance to make adjustments in an effort to improve the relationship.  After all - if the shoe were on the other foot, would you not want the same?

Don't Overestimate The Effectiveness Of Electronic Communication

Electronic communication is a wonderful platform.  It’s incredibly efficient and generally speaking, it’s free.  We can send an email to someone that’s half way around the world, and they’ll receive it almost instantaneously.  We don’t have to stop what we’re doing to hold conversations anymore.  We don’t have to leave our desks to send or receive timely information at work.  We can hold an entire conversation with someone without so much as opening up our mouth to speak or dialing a phone number.

That’s the good news…  There are however, some aspects of electronic communication that tend to be a little tricky.  When we overestimate the effectiveness of electronic communication, we underestimate the effectiveness of direct human interaction.  And it’s here, that things can get a little interesting when it comes to how to use or not use this type of communication.

If you’re at all like me, there are times when you receive an email/text message/instant message/etc…and just have no clue as to how you should interpret it.  Why?  Well, on the upside we’re not idiots.  Nor, is it that we're incompetent human beings that have no business functioning in society because we don’t know how to interpret an electronic message with absolute accuracy.  So at least we have that going for us..

To put it very simply, electronic communication is nothing more than words on a screen.  Issues arise when we assume this form of communication is more effective than it actually is.  What do I mean by that?  Well…there are no body gestures, voice fluctuations, or facial expressions to help guide the interpretation of what you’re reading.  I think sometimes we underestimate the power of non-verbal communication, which helps to bring humanness to our words.