Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33129711
06/06/02
Effective Personnel Leadership
University of Idaho
Schermerhorn, R. W.
CIS610
1977
Management, basically, is getting things done through
people. People, therefore, are the most important
resource available to management and the leadership of
people is one of the most important functions of
management. This publication provides some basic
personnel management guidelines which, if followed,
should help the agribusiness manager become a more
effective leader by creating alert, effective and
responsible employees.
Emphasize Skill, Not Rules
Judge your own actions and those of your employees by
their effects---effects in terms of increasing both the
competitive strength of your business and the
satisfaction of the human needs of the people who work in
it. Go easy on pat rules for running a business. Doing it
"by the book" isn't always the most satisfactory way. If
an unorthodox solution is effective and pleases the
people who use it, don't just discount it.
Set a High Standard
If you are irregular in your work habits, late for
appointments, fuzzy in expressing yourself, careless
about facts and bored in attitude, your employees
probably will be, too. If, on the other hand, you set a
high standard for the organization, in all probability
your employees will be eager to follow your good example.
Know Your Employees
Continuous study of individuals is a "must" in getting
things done through people. Motives and attitudes are
important tools for the manager, and they can be
determined only by study. Since security is the main
drive in many people giving recognition to the
contribution of others and to their role in your concern
is a useful starting point in getting the best from
persons of future management caliber.
Individuals vary widely in their other characteristics.
Well-timed praise may spur one person to new heights of
achievement, but it may only inflate another. A better
key to the latter's effort might be constructive
criticism. A third individual may wilt under any kind of
criticism, and some other approach is needed. The
skillful manager constantly hunts for the appropriate
procedure. He also searches beyond the office for
background.
People's motives and attitudes are heavily conditioned by
their personal situations. For this reason, tactful
drawing-out of employees can often supply invaluable
information for understanding them. Remember, people
often act on the basis of emotional, nonlogical reasons,
even though they try to appear completely logical.
Objectives and a Sense of Direction
Employees should know where they're going, what they're
doing and why they're doing it so they can plan their
time intelligently and work effectively. Good employees
seldom enjoy working just day to day. Therefore, make
clear the relation between their day-to-day work and the
larger company objectives.
For example, don't merely ask people to analyze the
variable costs of a particular department. Tell them also
that it's part of a longer-range plan to provide leeway
for salary increases, and that the knowledge they provide
will strengthen the operating efficiency of their
company.
Listening Pays
The manager who knows his people---their habits, worries,
ambitions, touchy points and pet prides---comes to
appreciate why they behave as they do and what motives
stir them. The best and fastest way to know them is to
encourage them to talk freely, without fear of ridicule
or disapproval.
Try to understand how others actually feel on a subject,
whether or not you feel the same way. Never dominate a
conversation or meeting by doing all the talking yourself
if you want to find out where your people stand. If both
you and one of your people start to say something at the
same time, give him the right of way.
One objection to the idea of being a good listener is
that doing this takes time to draw out people. The answer
is you need time to plan, too. Both are essential in the
manager's job. The time invested will pay big dividends.
Be Considerate
Few things contribute more to building a hard-working,
effective team than a considerate boss. Try to be calm
and courteous toward your employees. Consider the effects
on them of any decisions you make. Take into account the
problems they have of their own---both business and
personal. Try to build up their pride in their work and
their self-respect. Start by treating personal
characteristics as assets and by being careful not to
trample on them.
Be Consistent
If you "fly off the handle" and "set off fireworks," you
are likely to frighten employees into their shells; if
you oscillate widely in reaction, mood and manner, you
will probably bewilder them. Neither sort of behavior can
win you the confidence and cooperation of your employees
which you must have to get things done.
You and your employees are in the position of a leader
and his followers. Employees want to follow only the
leader whose course is steady and whose actions are
predictable.
Stress Job Importance
Most people need to think their jobs are important. Many
even have to feel that they not only have an important
job but that they are essential in it before they start
clicking.
Request Rather Than Command
Give your directions in terms of suggestions or requests.
If your people have initiative and ability, you will get
vastly better results in this way than you will by giving
orders or commands. Issue commands only as a last resort.
If you find that you have to give orders all the time,
maybe you'd better look for some new employees---or re-
examine the way you have been handling your own job.
Be sure also to tell why you want certain things done.
Informal, oral explanations are often as good or better
than written ones; let the individual circumstances be
your guide here.
Delegate Responsibility
This is another "obvious" point that is frequently
overlooked. Delegating responsibility is basic to
competent management. You are not doing your real job as
a manager if you do not delegate. If you insist on
keeping your hand in details, you discourage your
assistants by competing with them. Moreover, by doing
everything yourself, you prevent assistants from learning
to make their own decisions. Sooner or later the capable
ones will quit, and the others will sit back and let you
do all the work. Ultimately, you will have no time for
the thinking and the planning that are the most important
parts of your job. Think of your assistants as working
with you, not for you.
Show Faith in Your Employees
Employees tend to perform according to what is expected
of them. If they know you have the confidence in them to
expect a first-rate job, that's what they will usually
try to give you.
Keep Your Employees Informed
Bring your employees up-to-date constantly on new
developments, and let them know well in advance whenever
changes are in the offing. As members of a team, they are
entitled to know what is going on. If they do, their
thinking will be geared more closely to reality, and
their attitudes will be more flexible. Give them enough
information about conditions and events in your company
and industry to let them see themselves and their work in
perspective.
Many plans can't be discussed very far in advance. They
should, however, be discussed with employees before they
are in final form. Doing this will give them that all-
important chance to participate. Furthermore, because
they will have taken part in shaping the plan, it will be
as much theirs as yours, and they will feel a personal
responsibility for its success. Hence, they will usually
carry out the program with vigor and precision.
Ask Employees For Counsel and Help
Bring them actively into the picture. It will help to
give them a feeling of "belonging" and to build their
self-confidence. It will often make them anxious to work
harder than ever. Just as important, they may well have
good ideas which may never be used unless you ask for
them.
Let Workers Know Where They Stand
The day of "treat 'em rough and tell 'em nothing" has
passed. A system providing periodic ratings for employees
is the first step. However, the full value of such a
system is realized only if ratings are discussed with
each person individually so that each can bolster weak
points, clear up misunderstandings and recognize his
particular talents.
A formal rating system may be worthwhile, but is not
necessarily essential if the manager talks at least once
a year with each employee about his performance during
the past period.
Give a Courteous Hearing to Ideas
Many ideas may sound ridiculous to you, but you should
not act scornful or impatient. There's no surer way to
discourage original thinking by an employee than to
disparage or ridicule a suggestion he makes. His next
idea might well be the very one you want. Make it easy
for that next idea to come to you.
Participation Builds Cooperation
When your people feel they have had a say in a decision,
they are much more likely to go along with it
cooperatively. If they agree with the decision, they will
look at it as their own and back it to the hilt. If they
don't agree, they may still back it more strongly than
otherwise because of the fact that their point of view
was given full and fair consideration.
Don't Bury Employee Suggestions
Tell the originator of an idea what action was taken and
why. If you do so, he'll study other problems and make
suggestions on ways to solve them. If his idea is
accepted, he will be encouraged by seeing the results of
this thinking put into effect. If his idea is not
adopted, he will accept that fact more readily and with
fuller understanding if you show him that the reasons for
rejection are clear and sound. In addition, knowing
exactly why his idea was impractical will help the
suggester analyze the next problem more clearly.
Pass the Credit Down
Taking credit for yourself that really belongs to one of
your operating people tends to destroy his initiative and
willingness to take responsibility. Giving him fair
recognition for what he does has a double benefit; he
gets appreciation for doing a good job, and you get the
help and support of loyal staff. If you take all the bows
when somebody else played the leading role, you can
rapidly lose the respect of your people.
Let People Carry Out Their Own Ideas
Occasionally, equally good suggestions on a particular
problem come from two individuals at the same time---one
person directly responsible in the situation, the other
person essentially detached from it. In such cases,
choose the recommendation developed by the person who
will ultimately carry it out. He will then have a
personal stake in proving that his idea is, in fact,
workable. Good administrative practice is, therefore, to
keep employees constantly aware of your willingness to
have them work out their own solutions to problems in
their particular operating areas.
Criticize or Reprove in Private
This may seem obvious, but managers forget to do it every
day in hundreds of organizations. Reprimands in the
presence of others cause humiliation and resentment
instead of a desire to do better next time. Criticizing
an employee when people from his department are present
undermines his morale and also his enthusiasm to try to
do his best for your company.
Criticize or Reprove Constructively
First, get all the facts; review them with those
concerned and reach an agreement on them. Then be ready
to suggest a constructive course of action for the
future. When you criticize, concentrate on the method or
results, not on personalities. If you can precede the
criticism by a bit of honest praise, so much the better.
Note, however, that some managers do this so regularly
and unimaginatively that the compliments lose their
value.
Praise in Public
Most people thrive on appreciation. Praise before others
often has a multiple impact. It tends to raise morale,
increase prestige and strengthen self-confidence. These
are important factors in the development of capable
junior managers. Be sure that those you praise are really
the ones who deserve it, and that you don't encourage
"credit grabbing."
Accept Moderate "Griping" as Healthy
In small doses, griping can serve as a safety valve for
your people. If they worked under a perfect manager, they
would probably still complain just because he was
perfect. Vicious, personal sniping is, of course, another
matter; here you should make every effort to have the
cause discovered and rooted out. Remember, too, that
without some dissatisfaction, you would have little
incentive to do, or get, something better.
This College of Agriculture publication is one in a
series on personnel management. Other titles in the
series that may be helpful to agribusiness managers are:
CIS 611 Recruiting and Retaining Good Personnel
- 10 cents
CIS 612 Management Succession - 10 cents
CIS 613 Problem Employees - 5 cents
You may secure copies of these publications from your
University of Idaho Cooperative Extension county office.
Or, you may order directly from:
Agricultural Information
College of Agriculture
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho 83843
http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/CatInfo.html
Please list publications by title and number on your
order. Make your check payable to University of Idaho,
Agricultural Information.
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