First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

by Gallup Press

Consider the manager who believes that with enough willpower and determination, virtually all behaviors can be changed. For this manager, every case of poor performance is the employee’s fault. The employee has been warned repeatedly, and still he has not improved his performance. If he had more drive, more spirit or more willingness to learn, he would have changed his behavior as required, and the poor performance would have disappeared. But it hasn’t disappeared. He must not be trying hard enough. It is his fault. This seductive logic puts this manager in a very awkward position. Since she told the employee what to do, and since the employee didn’t do it, then the employee must be weak-willed, stupid, disobedient or disrespectful. How can you have a constructive conversation with someone when beneath the surface politeness, this is what you are compelled to think of him? It’s hard. If you are by nature an emotional manager, you fear you might lose your temper and let your anger show. If you are by nature a caring and supportive manager, you worry that he might see through your soothing words and realize how deeply disappointed you are in him. Whatever your style, a conversation in which you have to mask your true feelings is a stressful conversation, particularly when your feelings are so negative. No wonder so many managers try to avoid it. But great managers don’t have to hide their true feelings. They understand that a person’s talents and nontalents constitute an end...