Rules for communication between managers and subordinates. Golden rules of a good leader

Finally got a promotion? Congratulations! You have already proven your professionalism, now is the time to demonstrate your management and organizational abilities. Because a new position means not only new responsibilities, but also a new role in the team. Are you ready for this?

I decided to collect recommendations for aspiring heads of departments, divisions, and companies. After all, moving up the career ladder of one person can become a problem for other team members and even negatively affect the working atmosphere.

Which leadership style should you choose? How to motivate employees? What is psychoclimate and how do you understand that it is negative? I turned to Antonina Ulyannaskaya, a psychologist-consultant at the Wezom agency, with these questions. According to her, 80% of novice managers do not know or do not even think about the psychological aspects of team management. And there is something to think about if you don’t want to see a decrease in productivity and a stack of resignation letters from disgruntled subordinates in a month or two.

What should a new manager do?

1. Choose a democratic management style

Of the three styles - authoritarian (decisions are made individually by the leader), democratic (decisions are made collectively, the boss controls execution) and liberal (the team makes decisions itself, the role of the leader is minimal) - it is the democratic one that can provide a comfortable working atmosphere and maximum productivity. Because the boss is a democrat:

does not give strict orders, like in the army, he works as a team;
provides subordinates with the authority to solve problems within their competencies independently;
involves employees in solving organizational issues;
encourages creative ideas and initiatives;
builds trusting relationships with colleagues: informs about the current state of affairs in the company and development plans;
sees and helps to reveal the employee’s potential.

The democratic style makes subordinates feel like partners rather than just performers. For a novice leader, this style will be the key to the success of the team of which he has become the leader.

Nuance. If the manager comes from outside (not from among the employees of the department or company), we recommend:

ask what the predecessor was like in this position, what management style he used;
get to know the team and organizational processes;
identify priority work goals, discuss them with senior management, and then with subordinates.

Don't forget to listen to the suggestions of the department entrusted to you.

2. Motivate not with orders, but with the help of involvement in solving problems

This method will help increase self-discipline in the team. After all, responsibility for decisions made passes to employees. This implies a democratic management style. Make employees feel important. The feeling of a simple cog in a huge mechanism is unlikely to arouse enthusiasm. And when subordinates become important participants in the overall process, they will approach business more responsibly.

If employees fail to cope, the democratic boss does not use domineering methods and in no case scolds in public.

Remember the rule: praise in public, punish in private.

Subordinates should not be afraid of being called to the carpet. Punishment in a democratic style means explaining what is wrong, finding reasons and ways to eliminate it.

3. Create a team

Remember that you are leading a team (section, department or company), not each individual. Form a team that will implement your planned projects. To do this, develop management skills. Be ready to set goals for the team, determine results, transform goals into clear tasks, motivate performers to solve them, monitor implementation, eliminate problems and conflicts that arise.

And also learn to select people appropriate to the tasks. In other words, don't squeeze a lemon in hopes of getting tomato juice.

The mistake of novice managers is to pull the blanket over themselves with the motivation “I will do it faster and better myself.” It will not be possible to build a team with this approach.

4. Don't be arrogant

admits that a promotion is not the crown of a career, and he is not the ruler of the world;
understands that a new position is a big responsibility;
takes into account personal experience before promotion;
continues to work on himself, improve personal and professional skills;
does not abuse his position, does not shout at every corner that he knows everything better.

Arrogance, like know-it-all behavior, will not help you gain respect in the eyes of your colleagues. The principle “I’m the boss, you’re a fool” is a sign of an authoritarian management style. You don’t want people to quietly hate you behind your back, do you?

5. Maintain social distance

Finding the perfect balance between friendship and service is not easy. Not every experienced manager succeeds in this, let alone a beginner. Some young bosses build friendly relationships with one subordinate, thereby creating a negative attitude among other employees.

There should be no familiarity in the team. Adhere to a culture of business communication. Build relationships on mutual respect.

If you are a supporter of using a first-name relationship between subordinates and bosses, make it clear to employees that this is not a reason to be frivolous with tasks.

Nuance. How to build communication if the subordinate is older than the boss? Follow a partner line in communication. Use the pronoun “you.” Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Messages such as “I wanted to know your opinion”, “What do you think” will demonstrate respect for the senior employee, increase his sense of importance, and help identify valuable experience and use it for the development of the company.

The main thing is not to hurt the subordinate’s ego, but to create a comfortable business relationship. Set the distance gradually.

The psychoclimate that prevails in the team largely depends on the management style of the leader.

What is psychoclimate and how to understand that it is negative

Psychoclimate is a comfortable emotional mood, the atmosphere in which employees work. Indicators of a negative climate in a team are:

staff turnover;
frequent sick leave;
low labor productivity;
tense relationships between colleagues;
general irritability and dissatisfaction;
employee reluctance to improve;
mistrust;
psychological incompatibility;
lack of desire to work in the same office.

Signs of a positive climate include:

friendly relationships;
high degree of trust among team members;
the desire to be in a team during working hours and spend leisure time together (corporate recreation, joint training, outings, etc.);
absence of internal conflicts and “groupings”;
cohesion of employees in force majeure situations, high level of mutual assistance (not every man for himself);
free discussion of current issues (no one is afraid to express their own opinion);
healthy business criticism;
lack of pressure on subordinates.

In addition to internal factors, the atmosphere in the team is influenced by:

physical working conditions;
the current state of affairs in the company;
economic, political, social situation in the state.

Analyze how sponsored people communicate and interact with each other, whether they often conflict or express dissatisfaction, how employees from other (related) departments are treated.

Psychologists recommend conducting an anonymous survey to find out what kind of psychoclimate prevails in the team. And if the head of a department is unable to influence the state of affairs in the country, then he can take care of working conditions and find out the reasons for discontent.

And finally

There are many more recommendations for novice managers than five. But we tried to select basic advice, following which the young leader will smoothly enter the new role and will not become the object of negative discussions in the team.

Read excerpts from the book below.

1. Introduction

1.1. Why do you need all this

1.2. Test to check your level of relationship with your manager

1.3. What will this book be about?

2. Let's meet your boss

2.1. How to recognize your boss?

2.2. Boss with behavioral type “D”

2.3. Boss with behavioral type “I”

2.4. Boss with behavioral type “S”

2.5. Boss with behavioral type “C”

2.6. Do you have a difficult boss?

3. Managing your relationship with your manager

3.1. What is "relationship management"?

3.2. Lying stone rule

3.3. Other people's shoes rule

3.4. Rule of the monastery and charter

3.5. Dragon and Hare Rule

3.6. Dead cat and shovel rule

3.7. Trained whale rule

3.8. Golden Rule

3.9. Your boss is stressed and in a conflict situation

3.10. This is not a marriage!

4. Managing your manager's expectations

4.1. What is “expectation management”?

4.2. The No Surprises Rule

4.3. Long-term planning rule

4.4. Rule of Manager Involvement

4.5. Rule of straws

4.6. Decoy rule

4.7. Feedback Rule

4.8. What to do if your boss overloads you with work?

4.9. What to do if your boss is resistant to change?

4.10. Look beyond the horizon

5. Possible errors in the “guide up”

5.1. The most common myths in the area of “upward leadership”

5.2. Guidance, not re-education

5.3 Overreaction

5.4. About friendship

5.5. The very first rule of “leading up”

6. Conclusion

6.1. Examples of Successful Use of Leading Up Skills

6.2 Complete conclusion

1. Introduction

1.1. Why do you need all this

By mastering the skills of “leading up,” you will help the people who work with you understand your importance to the organization.

Rosanna Badowski

Tell me, have you noticed that your boss sometimes behaves like a complete idiot, that he sometimes, or even often, says and does things that seem completely illogical and meaningless to you? I noticed this with many of my bosses. And I’m far from alone. According to a statistical study conducted by the Headhunter portal (www.hh.ru) in January 2010, 25% of those who want to change jobs cite “inadequate management” as the reason for looking for a new place. This is the third most popular answer, and there are even more such people than those who want to change jobs due to low salaries! Agree, the problem of an “inadequate leader” is quite common and serious, so let’s look at it in more detail.

Let me give you an example from my business practice. One of my bosses, out of the blue, began to demand that I stop promoting a product that occupied 90% of my division’s sales volume, while sales were growing well, so that I would forget about it altogether. Instead, she spent all her time and energy promoting a minor by-product with controversial market prospects. I was sure that there was something wrong with my boss. And six months later it turned out that the company was going to sell my well-promoted brand. My boss, it turns out, was looking for ways to save jobs, mine and my employees', in case this happened. But he could not tell me about the secret negotiations between the management.

Of course, there are idiot bosses. But in 99% of cases, the attitude of a subordinate to his boss as an “inadequate leader” is caused by mutual misunderstanding, a communication gap. Why didn't my boss tell me the truth then? Because he didn't trust me. And who was to blame for this? Of course I am. I know that I wouldn't spill the beans. But I was unable to create the required level of trust in me with my boss. As a result, many people could lose their jobs if the sale of the brand actually went through. Of course, his plan to solve the problem was unrealistic. But if we trusted each other, we could come up with a realistic plan to save sales and jobs in six months.

But where does this mutual trust between boss and subordinate come from or how is it created? Sometimes it is formed by itself due to the coincidence of behavioral types, priorities in the life and work of the boss and subordinate. But what if you and your boss are completely different people, have different views on life and work tasks, are comfortable working in completely different work environments, and typically achieve results in completely different ways? Looking for another job? Are you sure that the new boss will be better than the previous one? Why should your differences hurt rather than help your work? After all, the difference in views and approaches can allow you and your manager not to irritate, but to complement each other, achieving significantly greater results together than separately.

You know, there is such a wise corporate saying: take care of your boss, the next one may be worse. If you consider your boss a difficult person, then believe me, he considers you an equally difficult subordinate. And the boss alone cannot be blamed for the current situation. Subordinates make their significant contribution to consolidating “difficult” relationships with their boss. They can complicate their relationship with their manager in one of the two ways listed below.

Firstly, this is a passive approach to the issue, a reluctance to make efforts to build relationships with the boss. We generally believe that creating an atmosphere and building relationships in the work team are the job responsibilities of the boss, and the subordinate is simply required to do his job conscientiously. Let the boss organize company bowling trips and birthday parties, and I will also criticize his success in this area. Those who think so condemn themselves to difficult bosses and low salaries for life.
But reluctance to build relationships with your boss is only one of the possible problems. The second no less common and serious problem is the inability to build such relationships even with a strong desire. A subordinate who wants to improve relations with his boss very often descends into fawning and flattery, which are equally unpleasant to other employees and to the manager himself. Why is flattery rarely effective? Because any person wants his own real merits to be recognized, and not to be attributed to other people’s or unreal merits.

And even among managers, people specially trained in management skills, there is a very common misconception in this area. Most managers believe that the best way to improve their performance is to ensure that their subordinates perform at their best. And therefore, they devote all their working time to better understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their subordinates, learning to motivate them correctly, spending a lot of time with them individually and at general meetings. And they are confident that in this way they will achieve the best possible results both for themselves and for the company. This is not the worst use of your time and energy, but it is also far from the optimal way to use a manager’s working time to achieve the best possible results.

The most successful managers recognize that in order to maximize the effectiveness of their work, it is worth spending more time and energy on helping their own boss. When your boss begins to treat you as an employee whose suggestions and actions can always be relied upon, as a reliable and responsible assistant in all his affairs and endeavors, he begins to shower you with additional resources. Why? Because he wants to receive more of “all this useful stuff” from you. If by adding more people or a budget, he can get more support and help from you in executing plans, then why not do it? He may even do this unconsciously, simply by helping someone who is helping him. At the same time, you improve the performance of your department, a higher-level department, and contribute to both your career growth and the career growth of your boss.

When I was studying for an MBA at Kingston University, our English teacher started the management course with the following story:

“Did you know that in karate the level of skill is marked by assigning belts of different colors? The lowest level is white belt. Then - colored belts. And the highest level of skill is black belt. If we draw an analogy with the science or art of management, then the white belt corresponds to the ability to effectively manage one’s subordinates. Colored belt - the ability to manage parallel managers so that they are willing to help you and support your ideas. But a management black belt is the ability to manage your manager.”

This skill in English is called managing up(literal translation - guide up). In the West, many books and articles have been written on this topic. In Russia this art or science is not yet so well known. This book is dedicated to studying the skills of managing your leader, that is, the skills of “leading up.”

A few words about the history of this term. The first publication on this topic appeared in the 60s of the last century. It was an article by Peter Drucker, but it was not widely popular at the time. The real bombshell was an article by Harvard professors John Gabarro and John Kotter, published in 1980 in the Harvard Business Review. John Gabarro and John Kotter showed the mutual dependence of the boss and the subordinate. Their research demonstrated the clear necessity of “leading up” to achieve success at work.

“Think about your job and how to do it as efficiently as possible. Where can you get the resources you need, the information you need, advice, and even permission to do or not do something? The answer points to the one who has power and authority, which is your manager. If you cannot establish a relationship with your manager based on mutual respect and understanding, you will miss the chance to be effective in your work.” John Gabarro and John Kotter

Below I quote from the famous book by Zuber and James on this topic, which gives, in my opinion, the most accurate definition of this management skill.

"Manual up (managing up) is the process of consciously working with your manager to achieve the best results for yourself, for him and for your organization. This is not political maneuvering or licking someone's ass. Rather, it is a conscious effort to build relationships based on mutual understanding and cooperation between people who, more often than not, see things very differently.”

Properly building relationships with your manager can benefit you personally (comfortable working conditions, promotion), your boss, and your company, because it will contribute to more efficient and productive performance of work tasks.

And, returning to the question I asked at the very beginning of this chapter, I would like to give John Gotti's answer to it. “If you think your boss is an idiot, remember: if he were smarter, you wouldn’t have this job.”

1.3. What will this book be about?

Of course, we will talk about “leading up”, about the tools and secrets of this art. And the main secret to successfully mastering “upward leadership” is to study these skills not “in general,” but in relation to your current boss. Therefore, the entire next chapter will be devoted to studying the characteristics of your leader, diagnosing his behavioral type, understanding his priorities, motivations and preferences. We will also try to determine how objectively “difficult” your boss is, and what can be done about his “difficulty”.

“Leading Up” involves two basic skills: managing our relationship with our manager and managing our manager’s expectations of our performance. These skills are related, but still different. I will illustrate their difference with the following example. This is a simplified example and is intended only to show the difference between managing relationships and managing managerial expectations. This example will also be a mini-exercise for you.

Imagine that your boss asked you to write a report outside of your daily work. You think this report will take two days to complete. Your boss asks you when the report will be ready. What will you answer him? Think about your answer right now.

Let's say you answered "two days." If you tell your boss that you will prepare a report in two days, and he says: “okay, I expect it in a day,” then you will not be able to submit it on time. After all, many bosses like to bargain with their subordinates. They believe that in this way they do not allow their subordinates to relax and thereby earn their boss’s salary.

But another option is also possible. You will say that you need two days, your boss will agree, and tomorrow there will be an emergency in your daily work, and you will delay the delivery. And again you miss deadlines and don’t look your best in the eyes of your boss. Moreover, he is also letting someone down by not doing his work related to this report on time. The point is not only that your boss begins to treat you badly, but that there is a breakdown in work along a very long chain.

What would a person with “upward leadership” skills do in such a situation? He would say the report would be ready in four days. Why after four?

He would spend one day managing his relationship with his boss. If his boss wanted to bargain, he would give him such pleasure, let himself be convinced and agree to complete the task in three days. This way he would strengthen his relationship with his boss.

And he would spend the second day managing his boss’s expectations. That is, I would set aside time for unforeseen circumstances in order to be guaranteed to deliver the work on time or a little earlier. That is, thanks to this, the result, in this case the deadline for submitting the report, would be more likely to meet the boss’s expectations.

Of course, this example is an extremely simplified illustration of “leading up” skills. In real life, everything is not so simple. Therefore, we will analyze the 14 rules of “leading up”, which are given in the table:

Guide up
Relationship management	Managing Expectations

Rule of water and lying stone	The No Surprises Rule
Other people's shoes rule	Long-term planning rule
Rule of the monastery and charter	Rule of Manager Involvement
Dragon and Hare Rule	FRS major rule
Dead cat and shovel rule	Decoy rule
Trained whale rule	Feedback Rule
Golden Rule
The very first rule

We will also practice using them and study examples of their successful and unsuccessful application in practice. We will look at how a subordinate should best behave in a number of the most common negative situations that arise in relationships with management: in the event of a conflict with the boss, when the boss is stressed, when the manager overloads the subordinate with work or resists urgent changes.

We will pay particular attention to the myths and most common mistakes associated with “leading up.” A separate chapter of the book is devoted to this.

As I wrote above, books and articles on the topic of “leading up” were practically not translated into Russian. Therefore, I tried to translate for this book from English as many quotes as possible from the works of Western management gurus. In this book you will find tips:

John Gabarro and John Kotter, the aforementioned founders of this concept.
Jacques Horowitz, Professor of Marketing & Service Management at IMD , one of the world's leading business schools, which conducted a 20-day seminar for senior and middle management of one of the largest US corporations on the topic “How to deal with your boss?” During the seminar, he tested his thoughts and recommendations on 250 participants. In this book, in various chapters, I will present a number of his conclusions and recommendations.
Stephen Covey, an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal growth, author of many books, including the bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which has sold more than 10 million copies in 72 countries. By the way, this book was recently published in Russian, I advise you to read it.
Barbara Moses, author of the career planning workbook used by over a million people.
Warren Benis, who for 45 years was an adviser to four US presidents and many corporations included in the 500 most successful companies according to Fortune magazine, and the author of 25 best-selling books in the field of management and career development. His latest book is called Co-Leaders and is about the relationship between leaders and subordinates.
Roger Fritz, who has worked in business leadership positions, taught, and authored 32 books. Currently he is a development consultant for such major international corporations as AT& T, IBM, Caterpillar, AndMotorola.
and many other management experts.

Of course, I will not base the description of “upward leadership” skills only on Western sources and examples, because you and I live and work in Russia, and our business has its own specifics. In this book you will find many cases and examples from Russian business practice.

In summary, I would like to quote Jacques Horowitz to re-emphasize the importance of building a relationship with your manager.

“The relationship with your boss is probably the most important relationship you have at work. Proper management of your manager leads to greater efficiency in your work, improves your living conditions at work, and brings greater job satisfaction. Give your boss a helping hand and you will be rewarded.”

Summary:

It is a mistake to assume that it is the boss’s job to build relationships with his subordinates, and that it is more ethical for the subordinate to take a passive position in this matter.
Toadying is not an effective way to build relationships with management. To assume that flattery will please your boss is to assume that your boss is dumber than you.
Learning upward leadership skills is most useful when applied to your own boss.
“Leading Up” consists of two basic skills: managing your manager's expectations of your performance and managing your relationship with your manager.

Chapter 3. Managing manager's expectations

What is "expectation management"

Failure to manage your supervisor can lead to miscommunication regarding performance expectations. As a result, time will be lost and enormous effort will be spent on tasks that do not coincide with corporate goals or the needs of the project being performed. You can also look at this issue from an egoistic point of view: you will not have a chance for career growth if you are not able to successfully cope with your boss.

Wayne Turk

What are “manager’s expectations” and why are they so important for our successful coexistence with our superiors, for gaining the manager’s trust and career advancement?

To emphasize the importance of this issue, I want to quote from the Christian Gospel. I ask you to abstract yourself from the religious and philosophical components of this parable. Let's look at this business case from two thousand years ago from the point of view of the relationship between a boss and a subordinate.

« A man, going to a foreign country, called his servants and entrusted them with his property: and to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off.

He who received five talents went and put them to work and acquired another five talents; in the same way, the one who received two talents acquired the other two; He who received one talent went and buried it in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those slaves comes and demands an account from them. And the one who had received five talents came and brought another five talents and said: Master! you gave me five talents; Behold, I acquired another five talents with them.

The one who had received two talents also came up and said: Master! You gave me two talents; behold, I acquired the other two talents with them.

His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master.

The one who had received one talent came up and said: Master! I knew you that you were a cruel man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter, and, being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground; It is for you

your.

His master answered him: “You wicked and lazy servant!” You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; Therefore, you should have given my silver to the merchants, and when I came, I would have received mine with profit; So, take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents, for to everyone who has it will be given and he will have an abundance, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away; and throw the worthless slave into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Why was the third slave punished? Why does the owner call him “crafty” and “lazy”? This slave was punished because, knowing full well about the expectations of his leader, he did not bother to achieve results that corresponded to these expectations.

After all, any assessment of your work is relative! And this concerns, first of all, preliminary expectations. What I mean? If the boss expected to receive one ruble from you, and you brought two, then you are great. If he expected ten rubles, and you got five, then you are a bad employee. Although five is two and a half times more than two, the absolute result does not matter. The only thing that matters for success at work and for promotion is the comparison of the result with the expectations of management.

Therefore, in order for the leader to be satisfied with you, you should show results that meet his expectations, as the first two slaves did in the Gospel parable. Notice, by the way, at the beginning of the parable it is specifically stated that the task assigned is within the capabilities of each of the three slaves.

But quite often in our work practice, management’s expectations are excessive, sometimes even unrealistic. What to do if the manager’s expectations are impossible or very difficult to meet?

To solve this problem, there is a second important tool for “upward leadership” - the skills of managing the manager’s expectations.

So, in this chapter we will consider the following rules for managing the manager's expectations regarding the results of our work:

The rule of no surprises.
Long-term planning rule.
Rule of manager involvement.
Rule of straws.
Decoy rule.
Feedback rule.

Also in this chapter we will discuss how a subordinate should behave if his boss overloads him with work or resists urgent changes. These two very common problems are directly related to the difficulties in creating managerial expectations.

Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25: 14–30.

When we are assigned to our first leadership As a rule, we are beside ourselves with happiness for some time. Most likely, this was a long-awaited promotion, but even if it is unexpected, it can only increase the degree of euphoria from a sudden promotion. But, of course, as soon as this first joy fades away, many begin to get lost, timid, and gain self-doubt. It is new bosses who are very often constrained by the so-called “perfectionist paralysis”, when, for fear of making mistakes from the very beginning, a person cannot begin to fulfill his new duties and goes to work day after day, doing practically nothing, and only diligently imitating a stormy activity.

But sooner or later, this will be noticed more high authorities, and then the question of the advisability of a new appointment may well arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to act more boldly. Knowledge of the main holes and potholes located on this path will help with this. Knowing the rules makes it much easier to get involved in the game, isn't it?

1. The leader does not allow familiarity towards himself. Let's start with the truisms, because it is precisely their oblivion that leads to the most crushing defeats and failures in the world. If you suddenly decided that all this subordination is outdated philistinism, and during the period of your glorious “reign” everyone will address each other as “you” and put a farting pillow on the boss’s chair, for the sake of laughter, then this is a sure way to losing all respect from the team. Realize that most people need a chain of command so they don't forget what their role is in the company, or, more simply put, who the boss is. So a high-status chair, a heavy table, and maintaining distance are not just showing off, but tools necessary for leading any team.

2. The boss is not a patch for any gap. Many people have a desire to correct the mistake of a subordinate in order to show him “how it should be done,” strengthening their authority and demonstrating to everyone that the leader is the last line of defense of the company that cannot be broken. Sometimes such “actions” are really effective, but most often they turn the boss into a plug for any hole, and his subordinates into drooling infants who do not want to take responsibility for anything.

3. A good leader is always results-oriented. Encouraging effort or striving for results is a surefire way to never see that result. Let's understand that it doesn't matter to you how effectively an employee works, but only the results can be praised. Even if you want to praise someone who is clearly trying, you should then gently hint that effort itself is only a means to achieve the main goal, the result.

4. It is impossible to give a person a salary worthy of him. Trying to start your leadership by setting a good salary for everyone is simply a waste of the company's budget. People are not grateful in such matters; very soon the new salary will again seem too small to them, and they will again be dissatisfied. A good boss is stingy with raises. It doesn't sound very nice, but it is true.

5. The leader does not participate in infighting and does not encourage it. All office wars should be nipped in the bud by the boss if they are noticed by him. But most often it is impossible to fight affairs; they are an integral part of the production process. So, at the very least, you should at all costs avoid getting involved in one of them.

6. The boss always chooses the right path. His faith in him is unshakable. And those who wanted to show off by mockingly doubting him in public must be strictly put in their place with an iron hand. Objections and comments can be expressed to the boss personally by coming to him with constructive suggestions and a report. Bring this to the team at every opportunity. And the one who decided to show off in front of the secretaries, loudly doubting your choice, earned himself a demonstrative spanking, no less.

7. Admitting mistakes must be decisive, bold, immediate. Only the lowest insignificance and weakling does not know how to admit his mistake when it is already obvious. Do it quickly and boldly. Acknowledge it as if it was not you who allowed it, but someone else whom you are reprimanding. Everyone makes mistakes, so there's nothing particularly scary about it. In cases where your mistake is far from obvious, then you should avoid admitting it. In a couple of weeks it will become just a vague story, so there is no need for you to constantly be self-flagellation.

8. Personal affairs are diligently kept away from business affairs.. Because mixing them together is a cocktail that can knock any team off its feet. Affirm this in words, and confirm it in deeds. Personal and business should stand on opposite sides and never intersect. Even sex with a secretary (which is far from uncommon, after all), with a good boss is only part of effective relaxation therapy, but not a love affair.

9. A bad manager always has an employee who is out of place. And a good one asks himself every day: “Is every employee of mine engaged in the work that he does best?” You must constantly ensure that not a single cake maker in your team wears a shoe, which is far from uncommon for most companies today.

10. No one ever fulfills all their responsibilities. And there is no point in raising your eyes to heaven and crying out for justice. Every person quite naturally wants to get more by working less. So the regular salary system is very outdated. An effective method to keep employees on their toes today is a bonus system. Even though the salary itself will be small, the employees will have many bonuses: for the absence of errors in their work, for the absence of delays, for meeting deadlines, for something else. What bonuses can a “relaxed” employee easily be deprived of? This will save the company money and get the lazy guy into shape. Everyone has a chance to relax, but that doesn't mean you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Or from the company's pocket, it doesn't matter.

In general, of course, this is only rough rules that help you be a good boss. The true art of leadership is learned over many years, honed and perfected. In which we wish you early success.

Incorrectly structured principles of communication in a team can lead to low efficiency of the organization as a whole. Failure to comply with business ethics and internal conflicts will certainly affect external processes and negatively affect the company’s activities. If there are no clear regulations in communicative interaction, it is very difficult to achieve balance. Let's consider what rules of business communication should be followed when communicating with management.

“To have such self-control as to respect others as ourselves, and to treat them as we wish to be treated.”
Confucius

In companies you can often find a situation where a subordinate and a manager communicate in “different languages” and do not hear or listen to each other. Hence - misunderstandings, inattention, resentment of the subordinate and a chaotic exchange of information that does not carry any value. Everyone sees the world differently, so any company must adhere to the ethics of business communication, either tacitly regulated or officially written down in the organization’s documents.

“My secret to success is the ability to understand a person’s point of view and look at things from both his and my points of view.”
Henry Ford

The first project to create the colossal Boeing 777 aircraft failed due to a lack of communication between the developers, designers and specialists who took part in the construction. Huge financial losses and poor initial experience led management to revise the communication system and form hundreds of cross-functional teams, including representatives of different specialties and ranks. The groups interacted with each other and worked through each production process, thereby increasing the efficiency of the project. As a result, the team was able to present the most ambitious work of the year in the field of aviation, receive many prestigious awards, and the Boeing 777 topped the list of the largest passenger aircraft in the world with an absolute record for flight range.

Business communications: basics and principles

“It takes twenty long years to build a good reputation. It only takes five minutes to ruin it. If you understand this, you will begin to behave differently."
W. Buffett

There are three types of business communication, each of which has a certain hierarchy and exists within each company:

from top to bottom (manager - subordinate);
from bottom to top (subordinate – manager);
horizontal type of communication (communication between colleagues).

Communication in any of these types is based on the basic principles of business ethics, such as correctness, respect for subordination, and respect for employees. Business negotiations over the telephone must be regulated, and the norms of business correspondence must be strictly observed. It is unethical to talk to employees about personal matters or ask discriminatory questions.

The basic principles of business communication, which are responsible for the normal flow of its processes, include:

Focus. Business communication must carry an information load and pursue specific goals.
Interpersonality. Despite the strictly business form of communication in a team, communication within a company should have some interpersonal radicalism. When discussing business issues, the relationship between colleagues, a positive attitude towards each other and mutual respect are important.
Continuity. In the process of business communication, we establish continuous contact with our opponent, exchanging behavioral messages with each other in verbal and non-verbal forms.
Multidimensionality. Business communication is aimed not only at the exchange of information, but also at regulating relationships between opponents.

Today, many experts have noted significant changes in modern business communication regarding its quality and content. The importance of the role of communication between business interlocutors has been significantly increased, especially in the service sector. In addition, the active use of electronic means of communication has led to a decrease in the priority of real communication. A modern person, if circumstances permit, does not need to cross the ocean to meet a partner in person. It can be scheduled online and carried out using modern technologies and gadgets.

Business communication with a manager: everything ingenious is simple

“A good subordinate is one who supports the leader by the elbow and helps him rise to a higher level in his management art. Because it’s impossible to rise yourself if others don’t rise.”
Vladimir Tarasov

In his book “Social Technology in Questions and Answers,” Vladimir Tarasov outlines the rules that a subordinate must adhere to when interacting with management:

Rule 1:

The manager assigns a task to the subordinate. The employee needs to solve not the task that the manager set, but the one that he would like to see solved. It is important for a subordinate to understand what the leader really wants. If he manages to do this, he will not have to justify himself later: “But you told me so...” Such a subordinate can be called intelligent, he understands the leader, and is easy to manage. An employee must learn an important axiom: a manager’s time is more valuable than a subordinate’s time. And the less time the head of the company spends on managing an employee, the higher he will evaluate his work.

Rule 2:

An employee's modesty is important, especially if he is in good standing with management or maintains friendly relations with him. You cannot emphasize the leader’s affection or special connection in the presence of strangers, so as not to put the person in an awkward position. The ability to switch from one role to another is important.

“You can understand another person’s World Picture only by having an idea of his measuring instruments in a given situation. Look for a thermometer!
Vladimir Tarasov

Communication in business communication: interaction errors

It is important for any employee to follow the rules of business communication with management. The following interaction errors in the chain of subordinates and managers are identified:

attempts by a subordinate to control the manager’s decisions;
imposing your point of view on the manager;
conducting dialogue in a categorical tone, constant denial or vice versa, constant agreement with the opinion of management (stick to the “golden mean”);
shifting responsibility; resolving work issues “over the head” of the manager, turning directly to higher management (this is permissible only in emergency cases);
deception, provision of incorrect, distorted facts.

Let's consider this situation. An employee, in a conversation with his manager, offers to pay a bonus to the department where he works for a well-done project. The employee thinks that this question falls into the category of “self-evident.” But the manager does not understand the “genius” of this idea and does not see the need to pay additional bonuses. The head of the company does not approve of the subordinate’s proposal: he does not find any reason to pay bonuses and is not going to follow the lead of this “arrogant employee.”

What was done wrong? To propose an idea, you need to see it from a manager’s perspective. The employee needed to point out to the manager the value of the work done, mention the importance of the payment and its impact on the organization's future productivity. In this case, the bonus would be paid, and the task would be regarded as an effective organizational decision by the head of the company.

Business communication subordinate - manager: communication difficulties

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the plane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Henry Ford

As they say, “to be afraid of wolves, don’t go into the forest.” Even if you are unlucky with your superiors, and the manager’s communication with his subordinates resembles thunder and lightning on a summer day, there is a way out. There is an approach to each type of leader. Which one? Let's look at the most difficult types.

"Despot"

It is very difficult to earn the favor of such a manager. When communicating with a “despot,” you need to use business reasoning and demonstrate calmness without reacting to the leader’s elevated tone. It is very difficult to achieve the favor of a “despot,” but it is possible. He will be impressed by the excellent standard of your work and excellent results that are comparable to his inflated performance criteria. The priority is compliance with subordination and a minimum of initiative.

"Patriarch"

Obsessed with self-importance and superiority. To achieve harmony in business communication, a subordinate needs to play the role of a grateful student who has learned everything thanks to the help of the best and irreplaceable leader - a teacher and mentor. Therefore, working ideas should be presented to the “patriarch” as a logical continuation of his strategies and consult with him on any matter.

"Democrat"

Hates intrigues and shirking work responsibilities. To earn his attention, you need to be active, take initiative, and work with him “hand in hand.” In your communication, show business acumen, put forward non-standard solutions and interesting proposals, especially at team meetings and corporate gatherings.

"Loner"

Maintains an absolute distance from subordinates. You can earn his favor by discreet communication, maintaining strict corporate ethics and composure in resolving any issues. Ideas and proposals must be thought out in detail and submitted strictly in writing.

“Confident behavior that reflects good manners and kindness towards others leads to increased business profitability.”
K. Bennett

A good relationship with any type of manager depends on how professionally and accurately you carry out your direct work responsibilities and adhere to business ethics in your communications.

Historically, in Russia, the leader was treated as a “master.” He could punish, scold, praise, and protect. But this management format is disappearing from modern companies. Positioning a leader in this way deprives subordinates of responsibility for decisions made. Today, a dynamically developing company needs employees who will not blindly obey orders from above. An employee of the “new generation” must contribute the maximum to the development of the company, be able to interact both “vertically” and “horizontally” and demonstrate rich internal potential.

Golden rule #1: a successful leader must clearly define the vector and speed of the company's development.

In many companies, there is a two-, three-, five-power system, when each top manager has his own “tribe” that supports the “opinion” of their leader.
This doesn't lead to anything good.

An employee who reports to several “generals” works much worse, and he has much more reasons to come up with an excuse for unfulfilled work.
At the next Workshop, we will analyze the stakeholder strategy, which allows us to clearly define what the management team should do and in what sequence.

Golden Rule #2: A successful leader must delegate difficult tasks to his employees.

It is known that a person grows from problems, experiencing pleasure from overcoming his own fears.
By making life easier for employees, the manager deprives them of a challenge, losing the most creative and ambitious people.

By solving complex problems on their own, the manager progresses, while the employees degrade.
As a result, after a couple of years, the company is left with uninitiated, obedient people who do nothing.

Golden Rule #3: A successful leader must keep his emotions under control.

When I meet with employees, I sometimes ask the question:
- What irritates you most about your managers?

In first place in terms of demotivation is the manager’s inability to control emotions, shouting and hysteria.

It’s clear that working with people is a nerve-wracking thing, but don’t take everything literally. People make mistakes much more often than they would like.
Therefore, look at life philosophically, with a touch of irony and humor. This helps to maintain a good mood in the most unpleasant situations.

Golden Rule #4 (not trite): a successful leader must constantly develop.

There is an axiom: if a leader develops himself, but not develops employees, it loses in the efficiency of people's work.
If a manager develops employees, but not develops itself, it loses power.

Therefore, mutual but substantive development is necessary.
Never make general development topics such as “effective time management.”
Always create a specific learning goal.

Golden Rule #5: A successful leader must be personally involved in hiring people for key positions in the company.

Delegate this function it is forbidden.
The manager is personally responsible for everything that happens in the company, therefore, he is obliged to calculate the actions of people in key positions.

Connivance at the stage of selecting key people in 90% of cases results in big problems for the company.
Many financial, managerial and reputational risks were inherent in the stage of attracting people to the company.

Golden Rule #6:a successful manager must determine the rules for correcting errors.

When Michael Schumacher was asked:
- Such and such a racer has never flown off the track. What do you think about it?
Michael replied:
- There are riders who have already taken off from the track, and those who will still take off.
And he was right.

Each of your employees will make mistakes more than a dozen times.
Create regulations so that every person in your company understands what they must do after making a mistake and how to quickly and effectively eliminate its consequences.

Golden Rule #7:A successful leader must think strategically.

BUT... don't force your people to think big. They came to your company as performers because they don’t see (don’t want to see) the big picture.
You can “shove” a strategic map into them your his peace, but this will not give a positive result, and is guaranteed to cause resistance.

Give everyone that piece of the overall puzzle of your vision that they are able to understand. Empower the person to accomplish this task, and believe in him with all your might!
And, you will see, everyone will be happy :), and the result will not be long in coming.

P.S. It is no coincidence that all golden rules contain the connective successful leader must .
Being a manager is not the most pleasant thing. In essence, it is a daily solution to big and small problems.

A truly successful leader must do three things in the company:

1. Makes effective decisions.
2. Create teams capable of solving complex and complex problems.
3. Monitor the result obtained and adjust it within the framework of the strategic development plan (therefore there must be a plan).

Successful decisions to you and may the golden rules of a successful leader help you make your daily work meaningful and you a happy person!
Good luck and good luck!