10 mistakes managers make that alienate employees

Submitted by manager on Tue, 2011-11-08 16:14

By Gregg McLachlan
WorkCabin.ca

We’ve all seen managers who struggle. Once, a manager asked me why employees were not embracing her, or talking to her. My advice, as a fellow manager, “you’re coming on too hard too fast.” The response to that: “I’m not going to change who I am.”

OK. Fine. Take your chances, then.

The best managers are able to adapt to their environments and adjust leadership styles. This isn’t the military. Being a manager isn’t about breaking down your team, literally, and then training them for war.

Here are 10 mistakes managers make that alienate employees:

1. Keeping people out of the loop. Don't restrict communications to only a limited few, thereby keeping everyone else out of the loop. All those people categorized as "everyone else" quickly identify you as being disconnected and out of touch. They quickly perceive you to be an Us vs Them manager. (Them = employees)

2. Trying too hard to be a quick change artist. Too many managers make change for change sake. They rationalize making changes as being necessary. “I have to put my stamp on things!” they say. That’s a crock. Good managers are able to identify what needs fixing and what is working well. Leave well enough alone. Workers aren’t stupid. They know what things are being changed just because you want to change things.

3. Coming on too hard too fast. This is a classic fail, especially among new managers. Rather than integrate themselves into a workplace, they come onboard like a tornado swirling through an office. These types of managers are obsessed with showing everyone that there’s a new sheriff in town. (This is odd because I’m sure employees read the memo about your appointment.) They’re loud. Sometimes obnoxious. And they want everyone to conform to their quirks.

4. Failing to talk about the craft/industry you are all engaged in. Your experience means zilch if you cannot connect and talk with the people around you about your industry. If your industry is about making widgets, talk about what makes a better widget, recognize when widget-making is successful, and so on. You won’t build credibility by only talking about last night’s NHL scores.

5. Being a Blackberry faker. Managers who are constantly messaging or looking at their Blackberry when supposedly in conversation with a worker are quickly identified as a) not being interested in what workers have to say, or b) being a Blackberry faker (someone who uses a Blackberry as a crutch to appear to be super busy all the time).

6. All talk, not action. We’ve all encountered the manager who talks a good game. He/she can sit in a boardroom or staff meeting and appear intelligent by words alone. But his/her inability to transfer words into action at the worker level is always apparent. Eventually people figure these managers out. In other words, they’re soon called blowhards.

7. Surrounding yourself with weakness. To avoid feeling threatened by skilled people who are stronger, weak managers often surround and insulate themselves with other weak managers who can be easily manipulated and will rarely ever say ‘no’. Weak leaders want subordinate managers who will agree with everything they say. But your employees will easily see through it. They’ll see you as being weak.
 
8. Ignoring how to be a regular person. Some managers are so stiff and regimented that you’d like to tap them on the head and ask, “Hello, are you human, do you have any interests beyond just work?” OK, OK, I mentioned about talking about NHL scores in #4. Actually, effective leaders who get to know their employees will engage in non-work related conversation. This is a nice break from the work talk all day.

9. Being afraid to ask employees for their advice. Almost everyone wants to be part of the process of making a workplace a successful and enjoyable place. Managers who think they have all the solutions are living in a fantasy world. Your staff have great ideas too. Tap into those thoughts!

10. Being paranoid and not trusting of anyone. Managers who commit this sin are always paranoid about everyone. Who’s on board? Who’s not? Who’s talking behind my back? Who’s leaking memos? Their actions (see #s 1 through 9 above) clearly show staff that there is no trust. When you don’t put your trust in your staff, your staff will feel like you have no confidence in them. That creates an unhappy workplace.

Gregg McLachlan is the founder of WorkCabin.ca. He is also a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.