Why is it that, in many large organisations today, care
and respect for the individual has almost gone out of the window (flown over
the cuckoo’s nest)? I
remember a very wise man, who ran a very profitable stationery and office
equipment company my husband worked for, saying, ‘The more we give our staff in
bonuses and rewards, the more we get back from them!’ Well isn’t that amazing –
treat people well, catch them doing things right and then reward them
accordingly, they repay you with loyalty, respect and their best work.
The problem with all of this is that it is a lot easier
for managers to see when people are failing or not achieving and then start disciplinary
programs to get them ‘back on track’. I don’t know about you, but when someone
mentions disciplinary programs, I feel like I’m already in detention. It takes
really good man-management skills to actually find each individual’s strengths
in order to work with and get the best out of them. None of us are the same, we
all have different strengths and weaknesses but that’s what makes for good
teamwork – if of course the manager of that team can see how to use the skill
set available. It wouldn’t do for a football team to be full of right-footed
attackers after all would it? (Although I know a team that, at times, appears
to be full of people with two left feet).
The art of people management seems to be disappearing
under a deluge of computer programmes somewhat akin to Big Brother (George
Orwell’s version, not the annoying television programme). I think even a monkey
could one day be trained to push buttons which show ‘this person hasn’t
achieved the target in this area, let’s get rid of them’. I know computer generated
information is essential and brilliant for working out statistics but it then
needs a human at the other end to translate the statistics into something
useful and formulate a well thought out plan, moulded around the individuals,
to achieve what is necessary.
I’m afraid that, too often, accountants and statisticians
end up driving the sales arm of a company and, when that happens, all is lost
unless you have a very experienced team of managers underneath them to find new
and innovative ways of achieving targets. Many companies employ or promote
people to managerial positions who have a ‘driver’s style’ of management which
is all well and good but can sometimes be translated into a ‘beat them with a
stick’ approach and can be a very unimaginative and basic approach to people
management. Certainly there has to be the drive to succeed but it also has to
me tempered with some respect and thought for the individuals. Knowing how to
identify and develop skills in people is key. Work doesn’t have to be a
necessary evil, it shouldn’t drive people to nervous breakdowns. Managed
properly, if people are just not right for a job they’ll know and move on seemingly
of their own accord. If they are right for the job, given the right level of
support from their manager they will flourish and achieve at the height of
their capabilities. Unfortunately some companies just don’t see this and end up
losing high quality people who go on to ‘move mountains’ elsewhere, all the
better for companies that have seen the light!
