| | At one time or another, we've all thought: "What do they want from me?" It's not always easy to be the manager. It takes a combination of technical and interpersonal skills. And of the two, the latter is more essential.
Sometimes this seems strange. Our promotion to management may have come because we showed such skill in line or mid-level tasks put before us. But then once we took the management reins, we found out that it takes proficiency in several different arenas to be successful and maintain a thriving staff.
A major component of the interpersonal skills we must master is good communication: spoken, non-verbal and listening. Marshall Goldsmith, author of "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There" compiled a list of the 20 flaws that hold most managers back. Several of them relate to communications skills. To avoid these flaws, utilize the following:
⇒ Speak with respect. Avoid unnecessary sarcasms and cutting remarks that some people may think make them sound witty. Let the sarcasm work on the comedy stage not in the hotel.
⇒ Speak positively. Starting with "no," "but," or "however" kills a dialogue before it can begin. Overuse of negative qualifiers implies, "Don't bother making any more suggestions. Only my ideas are right." To get the best and most creative ideas from your team, create a positive culture.
⇒ Keep your cool. Speaking when angry is never a good idea. Managing by fear is an outdated style that never worked well. Nine times out of ten, people want to turn back time and erase things said in the heat of stress. Trust and mutual respect are also components of successful management. The damage caused by angry words and/or tone can take a long time to repair.
⇒ Share. Withholding information to gain or maintain an advantage over others is a rookie tactic. Show confidence in yourself and your staff by sharing appropriate information.
⇒ Ask. Peter Drucker said, "The leader of the past knew how to tell, the leader of the future will know how to ask." Why not put everyone to work solving challenges? Studies show that some managers do not ask due to ego ("I have to be the one with the answers") or fear ("What if someone seems smarter than me?") You don't have to know everything. You have to assemble a team that, together, knows how to know everything. Ask them.
⇒ Listen. Not only is this a great way to show respect ... you learn so much if you honestly listen to everyone. The smartest answers come from those closest to the issues being solved.
⇒ Say thank you and I'm sorry. You will get the credit for having a great staff if you let them receive recognition for their efforts and achievements.
These things are surely simple, but they are not always easy to use on a consistent basis. Choose an interpersonal skill that you could regularly benefit from the most. It will probably turn out to be the answer to "what they want from you".
Visit www.hotelEtraining.com at Jeanne@HotelEtraining.com
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