Traits that endanger employee relationships and business operations: Points for managers to note

By Alexander OKANTEY

There are different roles and functions of individuals and teams respectively in various organisations. A leader or manager may have “gone through the mill” and know a lot about the business or service but still does not know everything and cannot play every role in the organisation. The leader must know that he needs others within and outside his organisations to achieve great success.

A manager should not think that he knows everything and therefore will not listen to the views of others. Such a manager may not be tolerant and may not be willing to learn new techniques, processes and strategies from direct reports (subordinates). The manager should be open and accommodating. He should develop or practiced listening skills in order to improve employee relationship and business operations. There may be emerging issues on operations, investment, risks, compliance, sustainability, ethics, leadership and governance which the manager might not know or appreciate but a person on the lower echelon may very well understand. So in trying to discuss these new knowledge and skills with the boss, the superior officer may resist the new ideas for improvement just because he has not tested or tried that procedure or process. In that regard, the business operations could suffer.

A manager who thinks he knows everything and unwilling to learn new things may not admit his errors or mistakes. He may find a way or means to shift blame on others. He is not humble enough to learn new things, alternative techniques and also learn from his subordinates and business stakeholders who know certain things better.

A good manager should be able to invite direct reports to his office and have elaborate and fruitful discussions with them on various work issues for better team dynamics and business development. Direct reports may provide documentary evidences for their professional opinions, regulatory directives, laws, emerging risks and developments.

A manager who does not create psychological safety in his department or within his team is sure not to hear of his short-comings, good suggestions and professional discourses with subordinates. His team members may fear to disclose fraud, forgery, aspects of high risk areas of a project unknown to the manager, theft and grievous errors with respect to business operations. The subordinates may not provide useful feedbacks from customers or clients because the manager is not respectful and ready to listen but rather rude and arrogant. He will therefore reject the needs and preferences of customers. He may even ignore warnings from clients. The information which will therefore assist to manage customer complaints and suggestions effectively will elude him. The subordinates will fear to approach the manager and make other useful disclosures to him.

Customer feedbacks may constitute a gift to a business organisation. A manager who does not work on feedbacks weakens the controlling function of the business. Ignoring the opinions and views of clients and work colleagues endanger employee relationship and business development. Deficiencies, defective methods and wrong techniques of operations will continue to run in the organisation. Such a trait is unbecoming and should be done away with to avoid losses and retardation of progress in the business operations.

A manager who does not admit his errors or mistakes promotes a poor business relationship.  He may create enmity between himself and team members because he may falsely or wrongly accused them on business operation matters. This will weaken unity and cordiality among his team members.

A good manager should be kind, courteous and forgiving. A leader who lacks these traits will not “let go” and may be interested in punishing even minor offences, wrongs or errors. This situation can create animosity and an atmosphere of fear or timidity among team members. Employees may leave the job and clients who cannot tolerate such a manager may also terminate business relationships and move to a competitor in the industry.

A manager who is not a problem solver endangers employee relationship and business engagements and operations. It means such a manager does not find solutions to business challenges. He does not have the skills to take initiatives to provide answers to operational problems and therefore customers remain dissatisfied. He lacks creativity, critical thinking and innovation. He is not able to solve operational problems with logic, dexterity and competence. He seems not to be progressive with his leadership style and orientation towards business operations and development. Suggestions for the introduction of new, variety and improved products and services are shelved. Advices or recommendations for changes in business strategies or directions are not favourably considered. Business growth is therefore retarded under his management.

Leaders with poor managerial traits may be lazy. He may report late to work and close early regularly. He is not reliable and does not show up consistently.  According to Anna Chernyshova, “…those who show up on time every day are truly the ones who stand out”.

A good manager must practice “delegation” when necessary. Lack of delegation may delay work processes, cause loss of business deals and affect management succession. A good manager must not be a champion of micromanagement. He must exercise some trust or confidence in his staff.

A leader who does not build capacity of employees and shape their leadership potentials is not doing well to his direct reports. He is showing that he lacks positive and growth mindset.  An effective manager should be able to create prospective leaders and groom young managers. He should not hinder employees from professional advancement. Also, he should not “sit” on their opportunities to attend training and development programmes. The effective leader or manager shows interest in talent development, retention and impartation. This implies that he shares ideas, professional knowledge and experiences with employees and business clients. He does not create dissatisfaction and frustration among his staff. He must remember what Scott Caputo said: “When great talent walks away silently, it’s the loudest commentary on your leadership”.

Lack of effective communication skills, collaboration of team efforts, cooperation with other business units and business stakeholders endanger business operations. In addition, if the manager lacks empathy, he will not be able to create harmonious relationships. According to Daniel Goleman “Managers who lack empathy risk creating a toxic environment”.

The manager must not use divide and rule tactics but must be able to unite his team and create a strategic direction for his team. He should also be able to work for the interest of his direct reports. Furthermore, in the view of Ryan Yockey, “Managers who fight for their team are true leaders”. Lack of conflict resolution skills will affect unity of purpose and affect job commitment. The manager must be careful about his choice of words. If he does not communicate well, it will have negative impact on his staff and clients as well. The organisation may lose good clients, good business and promising business referrals.

A discreet manager will not exhibit favouritism and discrimination. He must show fairness and equity. He must not falsify reports. He must not do anything to torture and torment his staff. In addition, he must not set too high targets for his direct reports. He must not add additional tasks without sufficient notice and adequate resources. He should not put excessive pressure on his staff. He must not harass his team members.

The dependable leader must be resilient and adaptable. He should be able to accommodate and manage change at the workplace. He must also be able to inspire confidence and tenacity during challenging times. He must dress well and appropriately. He must set good example.

He must practice good time management on the job. He must plan well and set his priorities right.

A good leader/manager must show interest in professional networking and encourage his staff to do same. He should show appreciation and recognition for the efforts of his staff. He must not attribute the success of the team to his sole effort. In other words, he must not take credit for the interventions, contributions and creativity of his team members as if he did them all alone.

It has been observed that “The biggest challenge for managers is recognizing the traits that can derail their team’s success”. More so, it has been noted that “Managers who neglect toxic traits risk losing their stars”.

A new year has already begun. Managers and supervisors must review their past employee relationships, leadership styles and customer relationship management. They must learn from their experiences and the experiences of others in the corporate world. Their goal should be to make continuous improvements.

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