Do you often have a sneaking suspicion upper management is paying more attention than normal to the functioning of your department? Does conversation stop when you enter the boardroom? It could be that your bosses are concerned with your management style and are looking for opportunities to improve morale and boost productivity. If you’re worried about the longevity of your employment, you might want to be wary of the following five signs of trouble:
- You don’t believe in collaboration and you would rather rule from a position of power. While this approach might stroke your ego, chances are mighty good you’re going to have a high staff turnover rate. Your superiors might soon realize that those turnover expenses can add up quickly and the more financially fiscal option is to remove the pain point instead of continually training new staff.
- You think information sharing should be on a ‘need to know’ basis and as far as you’re concerned, you’re the only one that needs to know the majority of management information. Good luck with that approach when it comes time to fill vacant management positions.
- You only ask for feedback from staff if upper management insists. You’ll develop much more loyal employees by welcoming feedback and suggestions. Employees that feel they are being heard and are valued members of a team tend to stick around for the long haul.
- You hold the purse strings mighty tight and are hesitant to approve expenditures. Your staff is likely to be much more productive when they know necessary resources will be made available when needed. Your frugality could actually be costing the company sales and improved productivity.
- You make a lousy doctor. When a problem arises, you treat the symptoms but never dig in to discover the underlying causes. Unresolved issues tend to fester and cause an even greater problem further down the line.
If any of the above-listed points sound familiar, it might be time to reboot your management style. Supervising from a place of camaraderie and cohesion is likely to result in a far greater upside for your company (and possibly your salary too). If you continue to ‘rule’ like a tyrant, it could definitely backfire on you in the end. A quick review of the history books should be enough to convince you that a tyrannical tight hold will only last for so long.
