Each month, “The Balance Sheet” provides questions and answers from experts on a topic that’s important to you as a manager. Please feel free to share this information with other colleagues who also manage people.
Q. My boss said that I need to be a more supportive supervisor. He couldn't give examples except to say "your team has to feel you support them." What can I do?
A. Look for opportunities to show that you’re responsive to your team’s needs. If team members ask for resources to help them produce results, fight on their behalf to fulfill their requests. If they struggle to work through a tough problem, acknowledge the difficulty of their task and praise their effort. Consider work rules regarding pay in your organization and what flexibility may be available. For example, if employees work lots of unpaid overtime, can you provide paid time off later? If no, what other options exist to support them? Your boss may also want you to boost your team’s morale -- to motivate employees to persevere amid adversity. The best way to focus workers on a challenging mission is to shower them with support. Spend time just listening to them. Learn about their fears, concerns and gripes. By paying attention to your team’s comments, dignifying their views and championing their interests, they will feel supported, and you will earn their admiration.
Q. I want to be a good leader and I admire some of the supervisors in our organization because they are charismatic. Is this a learned leadership style? Can anyone become charismatic, or is a charismatic leader “born that way”?
A. Many studies have been done on charisma, but few have been able to pin down precisely what causes someone to have it. Most of us know someone who is charismatic or we know what it feels like when we meet such a person. It is clear that charismatic individuals possess a combination of powerful and complex personality traits that produce a magnetic and uncanny ability to charm or influence others. The debate is still on about whether charisma can be taught. More important than acquiring charisma is learning to lead others. That can be taught. The easiest way to begin is to study the differences between managers who are considered “leaders” and those who are not. You will discover that good leaders have skills that many charismatic persons are thought to possess, including the ability to inspire trust, be creative, see over the horizon, be unique, think in the long term, originate ideas and help their organizations reach the next level by constructively challenging the status quo.
Q. Is being “approachable” important for a supervisor? I keep an open-door policy and I am available anytime. Doesn’t this mean I am approachable?
A. Approachability is a valuable strength for a manager and usually means he or she is an effective communicator. Being approachable increases the likelihood of reducing risk to the organization and solving problems sooner because employees are more willing to come to you with issues and concerns before they grow worse. Approachability is closely associated with two other skills -- vulnerability (openness) and authenticity. Employees are naturally attracted to these personality traits, and they directly influence your reputation, likeability and the appearance that you are approachable. Typically, these traits are also associated with warmth and patience and the willingness to respect employees’ views, collaborate with them and be a good listener. Do you struggle with any of these traits or skills? If so, there may be room to become more approachable. BJC EAP can help because these skills can be taught or the traits can be acquired.