Psychology at work: establishing relationships between boss and subordinate.

The most difficult relationships arise in female working communities, and also where more than 35% of top managers are representatives of the fairer sex. Is it possible to regulate communications and create a comfortable atmosphere? Or does a female team involve creating a complex interpersonal and work environment?

The experience of large companies with traditions in the field of corporate relations and corporate ethics shows that many problems do not arise if certain rules are followed.

Let's talk about the features of office etiquette

When there are behavioral rules governing the interaction of top managers, heads of departments and their subordinates (office etiquette), the enterprise “breathes easier.”

One of the fundamental rules is to reduce the distance. Both physical (distance) and ethical (formalization of relationships). In large Russian companies there are fixed provisions governing the relationship between manager and subordinate.

For example, the distance between employees:

• official distance = 89-111 cm.
• friendly distance = 49-52 cm.

Reducing the distance is a signal that the official tone of the conversation is turning into a friendly tone. Top managers perform a similar “trick” to win the favor of a business partner or subordinate employee. However, the initiator must be the one who is higher in the table of ranks.

Rules for an Effective Meeting

Any production meeting or interaction between manager and subordinate must be effective. To do this, you need to know how to carry it out correctly.

Preparing for a business meeting (meeting)

• the following are determined: agenda, topic, goals, objectives;
• duration is set;
• the date and time of the event, the composition of representatives from the departments are agreed upon;
• regulations are prescribed.
• information is being collected;
• analytical processing of material;
• coordination of the work of departments and responsible persons;
• decision-making.

Participants are notified via a system generally accepted at the enterprise (e-mail, fax, memo), but not by a call from the reception (only in case of an operational meeting or emergency).

The notice indicates: agenda, meeting time, duration, meeting participants are listed, regulatory documents and a list of required documents/certificates/reports from each representative are indicated.

A well-prepared meeting allows you to avoid conflict situations.

Common mistakes made by managers

• there is no central topic, the goals of the meeting are vague;
• the essence of the problem for discussion is not explained;
• there are several voluminous issues of different content on the agenda;
• a large number of people are invited, some of whom are “not in the know”;
• discussion of spontaneously “emerging” issues;
• during the negotiations, “left” telephone conversations are conducted;
• distractions (receiving long-awaited visitors or signing papers);
• Regulations are not followed; those who are late are waited for.

It is important

It is necessary to correctly place people at the table in order to withstand subordination moments. Prepare cards with the names and positions of the participants.

We need comfortable conditions for business communication that exclude external stimuli. The meeting room should be: ventilated; bright and spacious; with a laconic design; with soundproofing and comfortable furniture; screen, projector, Internet access, intercom. Water and glasses are placed on the tables. Everyone should have notepads, pens, a printout of the agenda and list of invitees.

There are psychological mistakes of the leader, which then lead to unnecessary debates and a negative attitude among those present:

• the importance of the topic/problem and the fact that the issue needs to be resolved within a specific period of time with the participation of those who have gathered are not indicated;
• the positive attitude of the participants was not set;
• during the meeting, not everyone expresses an opinion;
• the manager does not stop those who “pour water” and exceed the regulations;
• the point of view of the speakers is not specified;
• lack of argumentation;
• no intermediate results are provided;
• unreasoned criticism is not suppressed.

All this can lead to “raising the temperature” in discussions. A well-timed joke, an unexpected sound of a horn, or another lightening moment will make you smile. If the result is a decision not in favor of the group, then these participants should be thanked for the fact that their opinions and arguments helped in finding the right decision.

This is interesting

It is believed that the optimal duration of such meetings is from 30 to 60 minutes.

The results of the meeting are announced to all participants and sent to them by e-mail; if necessary, they are sent to departments in printed form within 24-48 hours.

How to find an approach to subordinates, psychology. Technique attention

Sometimes you need to find an approach to a subordinate, for example, to obtain information.
The best position for such social contact, which is actually endearing, is attention. Ideas about love and friendship are very wrong; not everyone deserves it. But it turns out that the emotion of attention can be evoked towards anything, and even towards a red cockroach.

Looking at it carefully does not oblige you to anything. Attention is a completely unique emotion, it is absolutely neutral, the so-called transitional. You can look at a person carefully and kiss him, or you can look at him and hit him. That is, it does not oblige you to anything.

But your subordinate perceives attention as a positive factor. Because man is accustomed to consider himself the crown of creation, and the navel of the earth. And your attention is strengthening his ego . What is in general good for us, let him think that it is so. Why we do this is our question. But if a subordinate wants to think that we are raising the ego, let him think so.

On the other hand, in order to obtain information, a manager sometimes needs to ask such neutral, informational questions. And this is done through attention. In fact, any leadership communication happens here and now, this second, every moment. emotional state in our contact partner .

And if we need a subordinate to give us information and not be afraid, then we turn on the attention video. That is, we give ourselves the command to look carefully at the person, to pay close attention to his information. This is such a situational team. She does not expect this behavior for a year or two.

It assumes here and now, we want the person to tell us something. Therefore, for example, we tell him: “You know, please tell me what happened, this is very important to me, and I would like to understand you .” Attention and gentle questions make the subordinate want to open up to the meeting.

However, this does not oblige us to anything. This does not mean that we now believe the person, this does not mean that we will forgive him, this does not mean that we will reward him, this does not mean anything at all. Now is the mode of obtaining information. And what we will do with this information and with this subordinate then is the next question.

Situational leadership is the ability to behave at every moment in the way I need. I am in control of the situation, now I want information. Attention, neutral-positive, attention does not oblige you to anything. And the phrase “to understand means to forgive” does not quite fit here.

First you need to get information, without preconceptions. Because it is frightening, it is not conducive to obtaining information. And it limits us from making the right management decisions. A biased approach to a matter narrows the range of correct management decisions.

By receiving information, we do not lose anything. We get the opportunity to resolve the situation more objectively, which is very important for a leader. To respond correctly to a situation, you first need to understand it, and then react .

Any preconceived opinion, firstly, alarms the interlocutor, that is, we immediately go to confrontation where it is not necessary. And secondly, it deprives us of the opportunity to make the optimal decision. Therefore, the first emotion is attention, which must be learned.

And first, a leader in his behavior with subordinates simply needs to train his eyes. Get used to not being afraid of eye contact. Feel eye contact. There is nothing frightening about this, there is simply a certain state of information exchange.

Second training, learn to pay attention, as if to offer attention to a person. I look carefully at this person, he is here and now, he is the most important for me at this second. Not in life, not forever, but here and now. And therefore, I recommend that a person who wants to learn how to work with their eyes keep 3-4 of these emotional videos.

The first video is attention. This is an internal command: “I look carefully at this person, here and now he is the most important to me. Attention, attention...” We need at least one positive video, and we need at least one negative video. You can diversify, but I don’t recommend recording more than five videos, you’ll get confused. And you need to keep emotional videos on your quick button.

How to record a positive video? It’s as if there is some kind of disk inside you, and on it you burn some kind of record, and if necessary, you run this record through your eyes. The eye is a transmitter. You put in the desired disc and the broadcast starts.

Now we need a video of positive emotions. The video is recorded like this: you practice some short motivating phrase for yourself that is easy for you to pronounce. It is very important not to learn someone else’s style; the phrase should be your own.

The words should flow organically, they are your words. This video is a kind of greeting phrase that you would say to a person who came to you. Well, for example: “Hello, I’m glad to see you.” Or if you remember the cartoon: “38 Parrots” - a boa constrictor lying in the sun, and the phrase: “Hello, monkey . We can write down any phrase, as long as it rolls off the tongue easily and puts us in the right mood. So I said this phrase and you smiled.

Types of leaders

The psychology of the boss and subordinate must always be taken into account. For example, for female managers, the personal qualities of employees and their level of communication skills are important. Men have a different approach, aimed at the professional component.

Autocrat

Tough, overwhelming, requires obedience and execution of orders, sole decision-making. Principles: the company is me, the end justifies the means. Initiative is punishable, discussing proposals/projects is pointless, you should keep your distance and maintain subordination.

Liberal

Ideal for scientific and creative companies. Free form of control. Mutual respect and trust. It is permissible to enter into discussions

Democrat

Employees are allowed to independently solve production problems. The manager trusts the experience and professionalism of his subordinates and is aware of their interests and hobbies. A company is a team. Objective. You can discuss ideas, projects, proposals, understanding that they will find a response from your superiors. Subordination is required, but you can reduce the distance and contact not only business issues, but also personal ones.

Team builder

Built system of industrial relations. Tends to define rules of conduct in the company (follows them clearly). Reduces the level of interpersonal relationships. Clearly act according to the rules, taking into account the rules of hierarchy.

Companion

Uses trial and error method, no system. The goal is to create an optimal atmosphere in the team and strives for a “golden mean” between business and personal relationships. There is no system in place, frequent meetings. With a companion, you can reduce the distance and discuss all production issues, proposals and initiatives. But don’t expect that your projects will definitely be implemented.

Manipulator

The rules of corporate culture and production etiquette are established only by him. The requirements are “floating” and are inconsistent, but the team is obliged to comply with them, although the manager often does not fulfill them himself. Attentive to employees, welcomes relationships between colleagues. Only opportunists and intuitives feel comfortable with it. If it allows you to shorten the distance, be on your guard, this is fraught with consequences, sometimes not very good.

Ascetic

The interests of production are at the forefront, which is also expected from colleagues. He is not interested in the problems of his employees outside of work. He is often single. He does not interfere with the interpersonal relationships of employees, but he himself distances himself from the team, adhering only to business connections. There is no use in shortening the distance. But if you explain that you care about the company’s success and that your actions and plans will be beneficial, then the proposed ideas and projects will receive support.

Uncertain

Avoids everything: responsibility, professional, interpersonal relationships, acts “on orders from above.” He tries to communicate with the team “through intermediaries.” Unsure = bureaucrat. Rely on yourself, be professional. The main rule in a team where insecurity reigns is “don’t meddle in the manager’s affairs, and he won’t meddle in yours.” It's better to keep your distance with this one.

Patriach

At the forefront are relationships between people, and only then work problems. He needs a not very large team, where everyone has sincere respect for him. Loves flattery, congratulations, favors from colleagues (beyond work). Fires without explanation. It is better to clearly carry out all instructions, orders, requests, find positive traits and sincerely praise. Then a place at work and a promotion are guaranteed, but ideas and projects can wait. But he will go and get a place in kindergarten for your child.

Harimatic

There is talent bordering on genius, business abilities. This is a charming person who attracts attention. Distanced from employees. Unites the team with his charisma. The central figure of the enterprise. If you work with such a person, you yourself will fall under his spell. His word will be your law.

Informal

Nobody cares about his status. His authority is the result of his activities and earned respect from his colleagues. Wise Experienced. Professional. Has influence on formal managers/leaders. Able to motivate the team to achieve its goals. Do you want to achieve the implementation of your plans? Go to the informal and seek his approval. Then formal leadership will be on your side.

See video: “Why subordinates hate managers” Alexander Friedman. Demotivation"

Standard of business relationships

Today, the culture of business relationships has reached great heights. This is due to the fact that in the process of official activity, people increasingly switch to formal relationships and do not concentrate on personal sympathies and impressions of people. Special requirements are placed on communication between a manager and a subordinate. The manager is always the most key figure in the work team. Much depends on his behavior, reward and punishment policies, as well as attitude towards employees. Experts believe that being a worthy leader largely means having good relationships with subordinates. Employees will work harder and produce greater results if their boss manages them correctly. With poor leadership, work turns into hell, which subordinates experience every day, as a result of which their interest fades and their effectiveness leaves much to be desired.

What groups are subordinates divided into from a psychological point of view?

Hard worker

Idleness is suffocating. Gets satisfaction from the work process. Always ready to carry out assignments and solve problems. You need to be constantly busy with work. Direct in the right direction within the limits of competence. Give timely praise and encouragement.

Creator

The most boring thing is the templates. Independent. Does not tolerate boundaries or a rigid management style. Loves dynamics and change. Set the task clearly, he will do the rest himself. Don’t limit him to disciplinary boundaries: let him have lunch when he wants, don’t scold him for being late and don’t “blind him” with schemes - he’ll run away. It is needed where there is a reorganization, rebranding, reformatting of the enterprise.

Careerist

He goes to the area, department, direction where there is an opportunity for career growth. He sees benefits in everything, including relationships. Outside of work, he is preoccupied with his career. Keep your distance. He can present surprises and sit on you. He will follow you if you show the prospect of growth.

Whiner

You are definitely dissatisfied with something: both in production and outside of it. There is always a reason to complain: the lunch is bad, the air conditioning is too blowing, colleagues are careless, the dog howled at night - you didn’t get enough sleep. Distance yourself. Don't let us stray from the topic of conversation, demand specifics. Be strict. The load should be dosed, but stable is preferable.

slob

Or “thirty-three misfortunes”, a person is a problem. You can never be sure that he will cope with the job. If he cannot join the work process within six months, then consider breaking up with him.

Formalist

As much as they said, they will do as much. Doesn't show initiative. Doesn't get close to colleagues. It won't be an honor. Works for money, not for an idea. It is better to keep the relationship formal. Don't shorten the distance!

Specialist

Professional. He is passionate about the process itself, loves to delve into details, and masters new technologies. However, it often “goes away” from the goal. Indicate the path and the final goal. Loves challenging tasks with an element of creativity. Can be loaded with a large amount of work.

Random passerby

As a rule, someone's protégé. Capable of performing only general tasks, not professional ones. Not particularly eager to get involved in the work process. True, he can be well trained. Treat yourself like a temporary employee. If learning is not bad, gradually complicate the tasks. No? Fire me!

What should a new manager do?

Choose a democratic management style

Of the three styles - authoritarian (decisions are made by the leader alone), democratic (decisions are made collectively, the boss controls execution) and liberal (the team makes decisions itself, the role of the leader is minimal) - it is the democratic one that can provide a comfortable working atmosphere and maximum productivity. Because the boss is a democrat:

• does not give strict orders, like in the army, he works as a team;
• provides subordinates with the authority to solve problems within their competencies independently;
• involves employees in solving organizational issues;
• encourages creative ideas and initiatives;
• builds trusting relationships with colleagues: informs about the current state of affairs in the company and development plans;
• sees and helps to reveal the employee’s potential.

The democratic style makes subordinates feel like partners rather than just performers. For a novice leader, this style will be the key to the success of the team of which he has become the leader.

Nuance. If the manager comes from outside (not from among the employees of the department or company), we recommend:

• ask what the predecessor was like in this position, what management style he used;
• get to know the team and organizational processes;
• identify priority work goals, discuss them with senior management, and then with subordinates.

Don't forget to listen to the suggestions of the department entrusted to you.

Motivate not with orders, but with the help of involvement in solving problems

This method will help increase self-discipline in the team. After all, responsibility for decisions made passes to employees. This implies a democratic management style. Make employees feel important. The feeling of a simple cog in a huge mechanism is unlikely to arouse enthusiasm. And when subordinates become important participants in the overall process, they will approach business more responsibly.

If employees fail to cope, the democratic boss does not use domineering methods and in no case scolds in public.

Remember the rule: praise in public, punish in private.

Subordinates should not be afraid of being called to the carpet. Punishment in a democratic style means explaining what is wrong, finding reasons and ways to eliminate it.

Create a team

Remember that you are leading a team (section, department or company), not each individual. Form a team that will implement your planned projects. To do this, develop management skills. Be ready to set goals for the team, determine results, transform goals into clear tasks, motivate performers to solve them, monitor implementation, eliminate problems and conflicts that arise.

And also learn to select people appropriate to the tasks. In other words, don't squeeze a lemon in hopes of getting tomato juice.

The mistake of novice managers is to pull the blanket over themselves with the motivation “I will do it faster and better myself.” It will not be possible to build a team with this approach.

Don't be arrogant

This recommendation is for those who have received a promotion and began to manage their colleagues. The feeling of power can make your head spin. But this is a temporary effect. A competent beginning leader:

• admits that a promotion is not the crown of a career, and he is not the ruler of the world;
• understands that a new position is a big responsibility;
• takes into account personal experience before promotion;
• continues to work on himself, improve personal and professional skills;
• does not abuse his position, does not shout at every corner that he knows everything better.

Arrogance, like know-it-all behavior, will not help you gain respect in the eyes of your colleagues. The principle “I’m the boss, you’re a fool” is a sign of an authoritarian management style. You don’t want people to quietly hate you behind your back, do you?

Maintain social distance

Finding the perfect balance between friendship and service is not easy. Not every experienced manager succeeds in this, let alone a beginner. Some young bosses build friendly relationships with one subordinate, thereby creating a negative attitude among other employees.

There should be no familiarity in the team. Adhere to a culture of business communication. Build relationships on mutual respect.

If you are a supporter of using a first-name relationship between subordinates and bosses, make it clear to employees that this is not a reason to be frivolous with tasks.

Nuance. How to build communication if the subordinate is older than the boss? Follow a partner line in communication. Use the pronoun “you.” Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Messages such as “I wanted to know your opinion”, “What do you think” will demonstrate respect for the senior employee, increase his sense of importance, and help identify valuable experience and use it for the development of the company.

The main thing is not to hurt the subordinate’s ego, but to create a comfortable business relationship. Set the distance gradually.

The psychoclimate that prevails in the team largely depends on the management style of the leader.

Key communication gaps to overcome

Familiarity

It leads to a violation of subordination, the creation of unhealthy relationships in the team, and subordinates become confident in their possible influence on the leader and closeness to him. Possible gossip, destruction of business production ties. It is necessary to maintain distance from subordinates.

Creating a set of communication rules that must be strictly adhered to. Prevent the manifestation of familiar relations in departments carefully and correctly.

Patronage

It often occurs in departments where many young, capable employees work together with those who have extensive experience. Patronage leads to special recognition of individual specialists. Causes envy, unhealthy competition, the trust of the team is lost, the spread of rumors, and the emergence of conflicts.

Instead, the boundaries of mentoring must be clearly defined. Correctly form the composition of departments and divisions. Do not allow patronage on your part. This will preserve the reputation of a fair and considerate person.

Excessive emotionality

Anger, outburst of emotions, manifestation of irritability - all this leads to a decrease in control over the situation and lowers the status of the leader in the eyes of subordinates. On the other hand, the emotionality of lower-level employees reduces their value in the eyes of the manager. Any manifestation of incontinence does not benefit a person. The chance to move up the career ladder is lost.

Such phenomena disorganize the team. Developed corporate rules and job interviews that outline the key points of corporate culture help to avoid such manifestations.

It is important

The calmness of the leader gives rise to the calmness of his subordinates, and also shapes the style of communication at work.

Increased emotionality is caused by irritating external factors: flickering lights, loud music, emergency work methods. If you try to exclude them, the emotional background in the team will be healthy.

Opaque work goals

Chaos, even very good specialists cannot work efficiently. Employee motivation decreases. Overall performance drops. Clear planning is required, defining clear and realistic goals for the work of the team and each department/division. It would be better if this is communicated to every employee in a documented form. Conducting motivational training for all departments based on the company’s goal setting.

Lack of feedback

Reduced quality of team work when a large number of errors appear. Increase in the number of labor discipline violations. The emergence of chaos in office work, the level of employee motivation drops. Now think about what the main goals of manager-subordinate feedback are.

To establish it, it is necessary to establish reporting rules, hold regular meetings, operational procedures, and establish programmatic communication in the office that helps increase the speed of feedback. Clear planning of the working day.

Non-participation in the life of the unit

Leads to a situation where “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.” Management ratings are falling. Development of corporate traditions and events in which all employees should take part. Each employee should be in the zone of attention, and the manager should be aware of the life of the team.

Video “Alexander Fridman: “The art of carrot and stick. "Manager's mistakes when interacting with subordinates."

All sections / Practical psychology

Communication with subordinates

Communication with subordinates
How to avoid mistakes when influencing a subordinate

The most common mistakes when influencing a subordinate include:

Stereotypical reaction. Instead of comprehending the situation, the manager often uses stereotypical statements: “That sounds like you,” “You can’t rely on anyone else here.”

A hasty decision under the influence of passion. The boss is so infuriated by the mistake of one of his employees that he is no longer able to rationally weigh certain methods of behavior. Try to keep a clear head during critical situations.

Making a decision without understanding the situation. Certain situations often evoke unpleasant associations (memories). In such cases, people react without understanding what's what. But the more accurately you understand the situation, the better you can react to it.

Incorrect assessment of the significance of the problem. How important a person considers a particular problem may depend on his mood, state of mind, and unpleasant associations that this problem has already caused. Employees are especially dissatisfied if the manager evaluates the same problem differently at different times.

Insufficient error analysis. One of the employees is performing a new task. The boss tells him: “Finally, get your act together!” But at the same time, he didn’t really understand why this employee was doing the job slowly. Always try to find out the background of what is happening.

Insufficient consideration of various targets. What goals are of decisive importance when a manager takes action: the goals of the enterprise, the personal goals of the manager, the goals of the team as a whole? Determine what goal you are going to achieve using specific measures. Set priorities as necessary.

Insufficient consideration of the consequences of actions taken. When making decisions, a manager must continually ask the question, “What undesirable collateral impacts might this behavior have on my employees?”

Insufficient consideration of the different points of view of the manager and employees. It is known that a person most willingly does what he decides to do on his own. Therefore, whenever possible, involve your subordinates in the decision-making process.

Unrealistic self-esteem. The subjective assessment of our own success is influenced by the selectivity of perception, i.e. when assessing our own success, we especially highlight the positive aspects and retouch the negative ones. We tend to later justify our decisions in our own eyes. Based on this, the leader usually feels that his actions are confirmed, and therefore they manifest themselves with even greater force. Discuss with your colleagues from time to time the measures you take as a leader.

Schroeder G.A. Lead according to the situation: Trans. with him. - M.: JSC "Interexpert", 1994. - (Workshop for a business person

Barriers to a boss' understanding of a subordinate

One of the problems that managers face is the inability and ignorance of the ways of knowing another person. One of the simplest ways to understand another is identification, likening oneself to another, that is, the desire to put oneself in his place. The study of a person becomes more complete when identification is supported by sympathy and empathy. And not only compassion, which is relatively common, but also joy, which is much less common. It is not often that one encounters a manager’s willingness to actively intervene in a situation not related to work, the desire to help a subordinate in a difficult moment and sincerely rejoice with him in his successes. Interest in the affairs of a subordinate is not idle curiosity, but a psychological connection, participation in normal human relationships.

Psychological connection requires the manager to be able to “read” the face of a subordinate.

With the help of intuition and imagination, an experienced manager, based on the slightest nuances, records the mood, attitude to work, well-being of a subordinate, whether he has a tendency to engage in this activity or not, etc. But unfortunately, this does not happen often.

Unable to correctly assess a person and identify the motives for his behavior, the manager often resorts to attribution - attributing motives for behavior. This process is extremely subjective. Quite common are cases where only negative motives of behavior and character traits are attributed to a “bad” employee, and only positive ones to a “good” employee. This approach to a subordinate in psychology is called the “halo effect.” He can seriously let a leader down. The effects of novelty and primacy are close to the “halo”. When perceiving a well-known person, the latest information about him plays an important role. And previous information, often more significant, is ignored. When perceiving a stranger, a greater impression is left by previously received information about him. Such stereotypes lead to prejudice when, based on limited information or past experience, an incorrect impression is created about a person; stereotypes become an obstacle to understanding people and establishing normal relationships with them.

In some cases, stereotypes are useful for a leader.

They facilitate the study of subordinates by classifying forms of behavior and interpreting their causes from the perspective of already known phenomena and facts. They are necessary so as not to drown in the endless sea of ​​information. However, we should not forget that the stereotyped characteristics contained in stereotypes ignore individual personality traits; they prevent us from seeing a person in all his fullness and diversity.

However, it is not only subordinates who suffer from the prejudices of their superiors. Managers, in turn, often face biased attitudes towards them from employees. Subordinates most often have a biased attitude towards the new boss, towards changes in the organization of work, a change of place of work, towards a low assessment of their work and discipline.

Stankin M.I. Stereotyping or the main barrier to a superior's understanding of a subordinate/Human Resource Management. — N 3, 1997

Is punishment effective?

Punishment is the most difficult way to activate a person, but some managers believe that this is the best and simplest means of mobilizing labor efforts. Punishment is applied to prevent future misconduct.

The basis for applying punishment is a conflict situation. However, not every violation of discipline should punish subordinates. It is often enough to limit yourself to a demand, a joke addressed to those who violate discipline, or a stern look. The measure of punishment is always strictly individual, just as the mental characteristics of people and the reasons for their offenses are individual. Often, when punishing, managers show rudeness and tactlessness: endless reproaches, threats and reminders of old misdeeds, strict demands to correct all shortcomings at once, poorly hidden antipathy towards subordinates who dare to have their own opinion. All these shortcomings disrupt the manager’s contact with his subordinates.

When applying punishment, it is very important to show as much respect as possible for the subordinate and at the same time be as demanding as possible towards him. This means that you can and should be angry with negligent performers, you can be indignant and indignant at one or another of their actions, but you should never take out evil or insult people. If the manager begins to get angry and shout, he must be prepared for a response from his subordinate.

The weight of punishment depends on the relationship between the subordinate and the leader. Even mild reprimand from an authoritative, respected boss is treated painfully. Conversely, deserved punishment from a low-authority leader is perceived as pickiness and injustice.

The constant use of one form of punishment dulls its power; unexpected, unusual punishment usually works better than the most severe but familiar one. It must be taken into account that different workers must be punished differently for the same thing. In this case, one should take into account the level of their general culture, knowledge, and individual characteristics.

Unlike rewards, punishment is often announced not immediately after the offense has been committed, but after some time to allow the offender to calm down and think about his behavior. When imposing a punishment, it is necessary to make specific comments on a specific issue.

But we should never forget that encouragement is a more significant measure of influence than punishment. Regular use of rewards prevents the need for punishment.

Stankin M. Algorithms for stimulation by punishment./ Personnel management. — N 8, 1996

What games do your subordinates play?

Recently, the phenomenon of psychological games has been widely discussed in the literature. Individual members of the team use this method of a kind of self-defense, hoping to secure privileges in the team and receive certain benefits. Here are examples of the most common psychological games in a team:

"Kazan Orphan":

Among several methods of this method to make your life easier, the following should be highlighted: the subordinate avoids the boss, which, if necessary, allows him to claim that he was abandoned and was not supervised; provokes the elder into rudeness and illegal actions, and then takes the position of the offended. Often complains to his immediate superiors; flirtatiously declares that the assigned task cannot be completed. At the same time, the person tries to look weak, incapable of serious work.

"I'm being torn apart"

Fans of this game strive to get as much social workload as possible, without thinking about how they will cope with the increasing volume of administrative duties and social work. Overload with work allows them, on the one hand, not to seriously fulfill any of their duties, and on the other hand, to refuse difficult tasks performed by most of their comrades, citing being busy.

"Holy simplicity"

Fans of this game demonstrate to others their naivety and inability to complete what they have started. The purpose of such a game is to create a natural desire in others to help, and, in the end, they try to shift their responsibilities to others. Unfortunately, not understanding the meaning of the game, one or another leader begins to sincerely support the subordinate, doing the lion's share of the work for him.

"The Dispossessed Boss"

An employee refuses to lead a group of people created for a certain period of time to solve an urgent episodic task, citing the fact that he does not have the right to punish people who are temporarily subordinate to him, and without this it is supposedly impossible to lead.

"Clown"

There are fans of this game in almost every educational or work group. The clown seeks to prove that he is an eccentric, not from this world, science or work are difficult for him, and he simply does not need it. He laughs, entertains everyone and does no harm to anyone. This gives him confidence, and he stops working fully, drawing satisfaction and joy from the revival of his comrades when he appears.

"Oh, how good I am"

In order to raise your authority and evoke the respect of others, different versions of this game are used. This could be a casually thrown phrase about one’s successes; the names of famous people supposedly close to the narrator are mentioned. It is not uncommon to hear from an applicant of high authority that he is widely knowledgeable.

Most often, psychological games interfere with the establishment of good relationships between people, slow down any business, and reduce the effectiveness of collective efforts. But people play them because they help maintain a certain level of self-esteem, and sometimes gain the right to be irresponsible.

How should a manager react to the performance of his subordinates? It is advisable, ignoring the position occupied by the employee, to discover the area of ​​​​activity where he is stronger than his colleagues, and to show him sincere respect for real successes. There is a psychological recommendation - in order to influence others, you need to talk about what they want. Self-expression is the dominant need of human nature. So, talk sympathetically with the “Kazan orphan”, convince her that the responsible assignment that is given to her is feasible for her. Give the highest possible recommendation to a “player” and he will live up to it. Express confidence that he will cope with the task and achieve success. Almost every person makes efforts to maintain the reputation with which he is honored.

Stankin M.I. Psychological games/Personnel management. — N4, 1997

Ten attributes of a good employee

I am often asked how to be a good manager, but much less often asked is another important question, what makes an employee a good employee? There are ten qualities that I find to be the “best and brightest” in employees that need to be developed and maintained. If you have all of these attributes, you are probably a terrific employee.

First, you need to be deeply curious about your company or group's products or programs. You must be able to use the products or programs independently. This doesn't just apply to the computer world. This also holds weight in other knowledge-based fields where technology and practice advance so quickly that it is imperative to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. If you don't have this, you can fall hopelessly behind and become ineffective pretty quickly.

Secondly, you need to have a genuine interest in engaging customers in discussions about how they use the products (software) - what they like and what they find not so attractive. You have to be a bit of a missionary with customers, while at the same time being realistic about where your company's products (programs) are ineffective but could be better.

Third, once you understand your customer's needs, you must think about how the product (software) can help. For example, if you work in the software industry, you might ask yourself: “How can this product (program) make work more interesting? How can you make studying a product (program) more interesting? How can we use this at home in a more interesting way?”

These first three points are interconnected. Success comes from understanding and caring deeply about your products, your technology, and your customers' needs.

Fourth, employees should focus on individual long-term goals such as developing their own skills and motivating the people they work with to do the same. This type of self-motivation requires discipline, but it can be very rewarding. The financial incentive system is, of course, also a good incentive. If you're in sales, raises and bonuses are important tools for regulating performance, but it's much better when employees rise above these incentives. If skyrocketing your next bonus or salary increase is all that motivates you, then you are probably beyond the scope of group work and the development of your group that creates true success in the long term.

Fifthly, you need to have specialized knowledge and skills with a view to the future. Large companies, for example, select employees who can quickly absorb specialized knowledge. No one should rely on the expertise they have today to meet the needs of tomorrow, so a willingness to learn is a very important trait.

Sixth, you must be flexible enough to take advantage of various opportunities that may be promising for you. At Microsoft, we offer a wide range of different activities for people to do over the course of their career. Anyone interested in participating in management is encouraged to work with different customers, even if this means moving to another location within the organization or to another part of the world.

We have many people in our US division from other countries, and we have many US employees who work for affiliates in other countries. It helps us understand global markets better, and while we're doing a pretty good job of moving people around, it's still not as good as I'd like it to be.

Seventh, a good employee wants to know business economics. Why does the company do what it does? What are its business models? How does it make money?

I'm always surprised at a company that doesn't train employees in the basic financial knowledge of their industry.

Eighth, you must focus on your competitors. I like employees who think about what is happening in the market. What are our competitors doing, how interesting is it? What can we learn from them? How can we avoid their mistakes?

Ninth, you must use your head. Analyze problems, but don't become a paralytic analyst. Understand the implications of potential deals of all types, including deals with insufficient information.

Use your head for practical purposes too. Use your time effectively. Think about what good things you can recommend to other groups.

In conclusion, don't overlook obvious qualities such as honesty, ethics and diligence in your work. These important qualities go without explanation.

Bill Gates Founder and Chairman of the Board of Microsoft Corp.

Why don't your subordinates follow your orders?

Many managers are concerned about the unsatisfactory level of performance discipline among subordinates, when work is either not completed on time or is not performed properly. Managers usually see the main means of influencing undisciplined subordinates in strengthening control and exactingness, in punishing those who are guilty. However, practice shows that these measures of influence on subordinates do not bring lasting positive results.

In order for a manager to find the best means of solving the management problem facing him, it is necessary to better understand what ultimately determines the level of executive discipline of their subordinates and what means of influence can help in increasing its level. Among the reasons for the unsatisfactory level of performance discipline are the following:

· low level of qualifications of performers

· low level of qualifications of managers

· unsatisfactory quality of the manager’s preparation of the decision itself, on the basis of which the performer is assigned the task

· unclear assignment to the performer of tasks requiring execution

lack of employee interest in solving the task

· traditions and rules established in the organization negatively affect the attitude of employees towards performing the assigned work

· unsatisfactory level of control that managers exercise over the work of performers

· lack of resources at the disposal of performers necessary for high-quality performance of work (time, information, equipment, human resources of the necessary qualifications and numbers, finances, etc.)

In order to achieve a high level of performance of the assigned work, a number of conditions must be met:

1. Selection of performers best suited to perform the work (experience, knowledge, motivation).

2. A thorough study of the problem to be solved is necessary (who is responsible for completing the work, performers, clear definition of the task, deadlines, necessary resources, what assistance should be provided to the performer).

3. The manager needs to receive confirmation from the performer of how he understood the assignment, how ready he is to carry it out, what difficulties he sees in completing the assigned work.

4. It is necessary to ensure the proper level of motivation for the performer. It is important that positive incentives outweigh negative ones in volume.

5. It is necessary to clearly indicate how control will be carried out, what forms of feedback from the immediate supervisor are provided.

Magura M. I. How to increase the level of performance discipline among subordinates? / Personnel Management. – No. 6, 1997

All sections / Practical psychology

How to cultivate and not kill motivation

Motivating employees is an important component of the work process at any enterprise. Therefore, the manager or owner needs to get used to the role of a leader and inspirer who will lead all employees.

The first step will be to get rid of slobs and those who do nothing but receive money. These people are demotivators.

Step two. An important motivational point is financial reward for work, ideas, and exceeding the plan. The most reliable factor. The reward system must be logically and correctly designed. However, the material side does not always work out. Then moral encouragement “turns on.”

Step three. Create comfortable conditions for team members. This includes drawing up a convenient work schedule for valuable personnel, holding general events with awards for outstanding employees, and creating a personnel reserve in the enterprise. The goal is to increase employee engagement.

Step four. There is also a negative (negative) motivation: the procedure for punishing guilty colleagues: demotion, imposition of a fine. Bilateral (positive + negative) motivation is very effective. The steps taken must become part of the corporate ethics and culture.

How to manage employees using motivation

As for motivation, there are no general rules in this area. You need to consider different options and choose the scheme that suits your management style. The following strategies are mainly used:

1. Motivation can be developed in such a way that each employee has a growing sense of his importance. Well-deserved encouragement gives you confidence in your abilities and increases your authority among colleagues. Of course, a person must understand for what achievements he is entitled to additional payments, so as not to expect rewards if performance indicators have decreased.
2. Using one-time rewards works better than permanent ones. The employee gets used to mandatory bonuses at the end of the month and already perceives them as part of their regular income.
3. Praise is more effective than criticism.
4. The manager should pay attention to the results of the work of his subordinates without delay: if he worked well, he deserved rewards, if he committed a fine, he received a slap. In this case, the employee understands that the success of the common cause depends on his work.
5. Encouragement for achieving intermediate goals can be a good incentive. This will add enthusiasm to further improve your work.

Material (economic) motivation of personnel

This type of motivation is the most common today. A well-structured reward system can significantly increase productivity levels and, therefore, work to increase profits.

There are two options for economic motivation of subordinates: monetary incentives and non-monetary incentives.

Various methods of material payments to employees exist in the form of:

• bonuses, percentage of sales, bonuses and salary increases;
• incentive payments to employees who lead a healthy lifestyle - they are paid for visits to fitness, there are also bonuses for non-smokers and those who have not taken sick leave for a certain period;
• registration of health (social) insurance policies and calculation of payments for them;
• bonuses for harmful working conditions in the workplace, when it is impossible to improve them;
• providing, in addition to regular leave, additional days if life circumstances require it (passing a test, marriage, birth of a child);
• financial assistance for various family celebrations or in the event of unforeseen events (fire, theft, death of a close relative, etc.);
• compensation for transportation costs or provision of company cars;
• additional pension benefits that a company pays to its retired employees for achieving certain merits.

There are also quite a lot of ways of material motivation without cash payments:

• enterprises that have social institutions on their balance sheet (kindergartens, sanatoriums, dispensaries, etc.) provide employees with various free services;
• employees and members of their families are fully or partially compensated for the cost of holidays in sanatoriums and recreation centers;
• the opportunity for employees of the enterprise to purchase their own products;
• providing a flexible individual schedule;
• improvement of material and technical equipment, re-equipment of workplaces, which improves working conditions;
• encouragement for readiness to change workplace;
• the opportunity to attend entertainment events (movies, performances) for free;
• Possibility to work part time or work week.

Also, to unite the team, the budget includes expenses for organizing corporate events and small joint trips.

Non-material motivation of personnel

Non-material incentives include:

• Giving praise on behalf of management. The manager's task is to celebrate even small achievements and praise the distinguished employee. Any person is pleased to hear kind words or see his photograph posted on the Honor Board; this encourages him to perform his duties with even greater professionalism.
• Providing opportunities for career growth. A leader should welcome healthy ambitions and a desire to improve and expand professional skills. It is absolutely normal that people strive to earn more and have additional privileges in accordance with their high status. But at the same time, the competition must be fair and open.
• Opportunity to learn and improve skills at the expense of the company. This is a very valuable type of encouragement that makes you work with increased enthusiasm.
• Creating a close-knit team of like-minded people who are ready to help each other and solve assigned problems together. A friendly atmosphere in the team generally has a positive effect on overall results.
• Maintaining the image of the organization. It is pleasant and prestigious to work in a company that has high authority in the business community.
• Organizing joint recreation - trips to nature, excursions, sports and cultural events, holidays - all this allows us to unite employees into a single, friendly team. It’s actually very difficult to give up such a workplace, so staff turnover is reduced, because people have a good time working together and relaxing.

One of the important types of motivation is quality feedback. When a subordinate can safely share his thoughts, point out weaknesses in the organization of the business, and his ideas are listened to, this stimulates even greater activity. And ultimately benefits the company.

Points of contact with the client

This is what every entrepreneur and organization needs to know if they want to find new customers.

More details

The manager must decide what types of incentives to include in his management scheme based on his beliefs. The system is being developed gradually; it will necessarily contain elements of material and non-material motivation, since complex incentives lead to better results.

Communication Rules

• Ask your colleagues how the work is going and what the specific results are.
• Create close supervisor-subordinate interaction in each department.
• At operational meetings, not only talk about specific work issues, but also find out what is important to colleagues, what prevents them from progressing, and what problems exist.
• All instructions must be expressed clearly and clearly.
• Write down specific job descriptions, which, in addition to duties, indicate approximate deadlines for completing work, responsibilities, and possible remuneration. Motivation grows in proportion to the increase in specificity.
• Ask your colleagues to create a “bank of production ideas.” Creative people will appreciate you, and sometimes unpromising, strange ideas carry useful grain.
• Career is an important motivational motive. To grow, you need to gain knowledge and experience. “Turn on” motivation with education and knowledge acquisition, retraining, and advanced training.
• Sometimes it’s worth unexpectedly inviting a colleague to take a break, giving him an unscheduled vacation, or shortening his working hours. If you see that a person has overworked or implemented a serious project.
• Don't forget about financial incentives. Even a small reward in public increases self-esteem and motivates the employee.

How to Criticize a Subordinate's Work Without Impacting Motivation

The main principle is that criticism should be constructive. Then she will not “hit” her colleague’s ambitions and pride, and will also maintain and increase motivation.

It is important

Correctness and respect come first. Talk to the person one-on-one, professionally, without “attacks” or insults.

Praise work that is done well. Together with the employee, develop measures that will improve and correct what was not completed/performed with errors.

Do not criticize the department head in the presence of members of his department. In the conversation, take into account the status and education of the employee, his length of service at the enterprise.

Age of love

Irma, 54 years old, publishing editor:

– I’ve been a grandmother for 3 years now, and my immediate boss and lover is 61. Our office romance has lasted 8 years. Colleagues long ago stopped gossiping about him and “legalized” our relationship. Moreover, they are indirectly “used” in the office. For example, when I returned from a vacation that I spent with my husband and grandson, everyone breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank God you’re here, without you he was angry as hell!”

We have no desire to leave the family that he and I have, to ruin our established life. Unlike my husband, who has long counted me among his “grandmothers,” for my beloved I am a woman, and this gives me strength to live and work.

Expert opinion

People of all ages can easily become involved in an office romance. The older they are, the less destructive their relationship will be for others. Ambitions and desires - to get married, build a career - fade into the background. For younger people, it is only one step from love to hate, especially if one of them is not free. The image of a man can be imagined as... a layer cake: one layer is business, another is family, the third is a hobby... and the topmost layer is sex. Mistresses often do not limit themselves to the latter and encroach on a larger part of the “pie.” But they should remember that an affair with a married man only in 5 cases out of 100 ends in a new wedding. But married women, having met a new one at work, go for divorce twice as often!

How to create an atmosphere of cooperation with subordinates

A good psychological atmosphere of belonging and cooperation lays the foundation for healthy relationships and is a resource for achieving goals.

Train top managers to thank subordinates for good work. Learn the strengths of the team and use them in your work. Communicate with those who make up your team. Appreciate what others do, even if you don't agree with it. Don't walk away from problems if they are ripe. Discuss them, do not wait for conflicts and breakdowns.

To do this, the feedback system must be well established. Not a rumor, but a connection that allows you to see the special qualities of each member of your team. Don’t dwell on negative information and negative processes. Develop flexibility of thinking and quick reactions.

Advice

Organize a holiday for everyone, find a kind word for everyone and print a letter.

Yesterday's colleagues are now subordinates

How do they feel about you? Someone is gnawed by envy, someone's pride is hurt and resentment clearly manifests itself (why am I not in his place). And some are clearly going to sabotage all your orders and instructions. What should I do?

Sabotage depends on how the leader defines his positions at the beginning of his path. Follow the principle of trust and listen to what your subordinates advise you. If you have worked in this department, you know their strengths and weaknesses well. Be calm, confident, do not worry. Don't decide everything yourself.

From the first minutes of leadership, clearly define your goals and objectives, note the strengths of your colleagues, tell them who you would like to rely on and for what. Immediately draw boundaries between yourself and team members. Monitor the implementation of assigned tasks very carefully, especially at first.

Reward those who take your side for positive actions and good work. Then the sabotage will “come to naught.” Highlight those employees who support you. Deal with them: ninety percent of your working attention should go to them, and ten to the “resistors.” There is a principle: “Don’t feed the shark and crocodile.”

Fighting saboteurs will only drain your resources. Be positive, look at what is happening in the company as an integral system. You have chosen a direction of movement - stick to it, contact everyone, including those who are against you.

Correct behavior between a manager and his subordinates - how to develop it? Example

In order for a manager to develop the correct behavior with subordinates, one can learn the correct command, pattern, pattern, which we can easily customize ourselves with. Since the body is trying to close us down, habit is habit, then periodically we need to turn off this combat system.

The fact is that, by and large, we don’t need this combat system today. It is needed for physical survival, but today we do not have a question about physical survival, in most cases. We are talking about social struggle, and when you wage a social struggle using physical methods, it is not correct.

Because from the point of view of protecting your body, so as not to gnaw off your insides, of course you need to protect it. But from the point of view of interpersonal contact, social, this is unnecessary. Because you are having the wrong impact. And therefore, this combat system needs to be disabled. And you need to turn it off, something like a command: “They won’t eat you!”

Formulate such a command for yourself, and periodically send it from the right hemisphere to the left. That is, this combat system needs to be turned off periodically, like a button. We don't need her. In today's real city life, we don't need it. It only gets in the way because it works on completely different principles. This system was born in physical confrontation.

And today we are waging a social and managerial struggle. Therefore, this system must be turned off periodically. Otherwise, she will cover you all the time, and you don’t need that.