Use Your Own Natural Approach to Manage People Easier
It’s clear that our culture likes big, dramatic makeovers. It’s no wonder that Extreme Makeover Home Edition is so popular. Or the Friday audience makeovers on the Today Show. But aside from the clear benefit of these examples, I don’t think we need makeovers everywhere. Something about them implies that before the big redo, everything about us was wrong. Not necessarily so.
Consider management of people. You have your own way of getting work done through your employees. Your own natural inclination drives how you work with the Human beings who report to you. When I say natural inclination, what I mean is, what occurs to you first – your 1st reaction – something you always don’t think is reasonable or actionable. What I know is that your natural inclination is not something to just toss off, and often holds a wise, powerful and authentic response.
Early in my career as a corporate employee I found myself challenging my supervisor. I didn’t like how he was cutting certain employees out of the loop around how their work was changing. One day in a staff meeting I put him on the spot to share said information. Afterward he came to my office, shut the door and proceeded to tell me (in a VERY loud) voice that I would never be management material, and BTW, just “whose side are you on?”
Granted, the way I handled the staff meeting was not my finest moment, but I remember thinking, “If this is what it takes to be a manager, I’m going to keep on treating people like Human beings and take my chances.” I suspect my former supervisor would say I needed a makeover. But in retrospect “I” realize that, despite my rough start, there was a nugget of something wise and powerful in my natural inclination. I was committed to treating people at work like Human beings. This is where I start.
Over time I also learned that I was committed to proving that employee could be treated as Human beings while making the organization and business successful at the same time. And I strongly believe that treating employees as Human beings significantly contributes to making the business successful.
Through my own experience, and after coaching hundreds of managers, I found that our natural inclination to resolve “people management” issues often starts with one focus, but the issue is only resolved effectively by looking at all relevant stakeholders, which I consider to be Employees, Self and Organization (see model below).
Natural Management Decision-Making Approach 3-Part Model™
For me, the key is to increase the area of convergence of all 3 domains. But that can be difficult to do without practice. If we have to start somewhere, why NOT start with your natural inclination? If we dismiss it too soon, and without thought, our management will feel uncomfortable, contrived, stilted. We’ll never get the experience of truly weighing our options. Nobody does their best trying to be something they are not. It’s not good for us or the stakeholders we serve. Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t “cave in” to the makeover and stuck with my natural inclination. Eventually someone thought I was management material 
, and you probably are too.
BTW, I’ve developed an assessment titled, “What is Your “People Management Personality™?,” so that you can begin to uncover your own wise and powerful natural inclination to approaching people management issues. (This assessment, based on my 3-part model, is currently available to you at no cost.)
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