I recently had a lot of reflection because of the amount of things that has been happening. For instance, one of my former staff came to mind. He is someone who would often go against me, be very blunt and direct in his feedback and can be quite unpleasant to deal with. I never really felt much about him. I thought he has certain qualities which I appreciate, and even though I don’t find him pleasant to manage, I have nothing against him.
Yet recently, while I was on my way back home reflecting about work, life and everything else that come to mind, he suddenly came to mind and I was surprised that I actually wanted to text him to ask how he is doing and to thank him. I didn’t, because I am not sure how the interaction would go but I was genuinely appreciative of the learning I got from my interaction with him as I made my way back.
Why?
As a leader, our position naturally inhibits feedback. Many individuals are deterred from telling us what we need to hear because of fear. Although this particular individual’s viewpoint and reaction is often magnified and exaggerated, he provided some insights into how the ground can react or is reacting without my knowledge. I thought some of the things that he has shared helped me to be a better leader. By telling me how unhappy he is with me, he is giving me an opportunity to consider if I want to do something about it. While it can be unpalatable at the heat of the moment, all in all, I would rather have a staff who can share with me their viewpoint than one who pretends to agree. Of course, it would be better if he had came to me privately instead of challenging me in front of others.
Having that experience managing people and being managed by someone else myself sparks many thoughts for myself. For instance, sometimes as a leader, we can be saying certain things without much thought, not knowing that it could offend our staff badly. It highlighted the importance for me as a leader to trust my staff, their ground experiences and to give them the empowerment they need. It teaches me to not shoot down ideas but instead help to shape and facilitate them.
That said, unfortunately, as leaders we all have our own “red lines”. There are certain things which is just unacceptable to me, such as ethics and integrity matters, or when certain actions taken by an individual adversely impact someone or is unfair to them. Furthermore, it also depends whether am I operating in a private company or a public one. For instance, if I own a company or answers for the profit and loss, I can justify letting staff go early, giving them welfare or empowerment, so long it translate to higher profits and results. But in the public sector, it is not as simple as making money. I am not the one who pay their salary. I have to be accountable to the public and adhere to directives and policies. There is often no clear cut way to justify our actions like a figure on the P&L.
So that’s that. Just some thoughts on managing and being managed.
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