A tough and rigid regime at the workplace!

In management, it is imperative that we put the right person on the right job. Often times, the mistake made by many leaders is to have the right person on the wrong job. That is simply erroneous and disastrous. If a person does not have the aptitutde for people management, never ever put him or her into management jobs. This is not just suicidal for the person but will cause a massacre of the entire team or department.

I have heard of stories of an employed Director, when she comes to a cul-de-sac or losing end of a discussion with her subordinates, she would just say, "I am the BOSS!". It sounds very much like in an army camp - a tough and rigid regime! Well, the subordinates, for the sake of their rice bowls, just have to listen, take it and live with it. This is a very authoritative style of leadership which might have worked well with subordinates who are not highly educated in the olden days, but today, this does not work anymore. Many subordinates could even discern the dirty tactics and politics she uses in her daily management functions.

What works better today is the consultative approach of management. Leaders must learn to listen attentively, reflect humbly and adjust accordingly to the inputs of the subordinates in a discussion or meeting. Seek to understand before being understood as what Stephen Covey says in his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". A leader who is self-righteous and too authoritative cannot go far in his or her leadership career in the 21st Century!