Employees Learn What Managers Live

Growing up, my mother had a colorful wall hanging that read: “Children Learn What Their Parents Live…” followed by a poem extolling the virtues that every parent should possess.

I was always attracted to the wall hanging’s colors, but never very fond of the poem, perhaps because it was too esoteric for a child to read.

Only recently did I realize that the same concept can apply to the workplace and the employee-manager relationship. Employees learn what managers live.

From what I have observed, employees tend to adopt one of two schools of thought on this hierarchical relationship:

1. The ” in-five-minutes-before-and-leave-5- minutes-after” theory: in this scenario, employees carefully time their entree and exits to effect the perception that they are “working harder/putting in more time” than their direct superiors (managers, directors, etc) and therefore proving their work ethic. Does not matter if the 5 minutes “before” are spent checking Facebook nor if the 5 minutes “after” are spent glossing one’s lips for a dinner date. All that matters is that your manager sees your car in the parking lot as he/she walks in and then again when he/she leaves for the day. Preferably in the same parking spot, indicating that dedication to work prevented even a lunch break.
2. The ‘won’t-do-anything-he-is-not-willing-to-do-himself” theory: in this scenario, employees carefully observe what it is their direct superiors (managers, directors, etc) are willing to do – whether the task is above or below their respective pay grade – but more importantly, what they are not willing to do. Consciously or otherwise, employees’ behaviors are then based on adopting the same patterns as their direct superiors. Interestingly enough, even if you were hired to refill the company refrigerator with water for the staff, if you don’t ever see your direct superior carrying a case him/herself, then you may begin to resent the menial task to which you have been assigned- whether this consists of paper pushing or water carrying.

Fortunately during my career, I have worn both hats – that of manager and that of employee.

I have had employees of the ” in-five-minutes-before-and-leave-5- minutes-after” flavor; quite frankly, I never looked at the clock if work was being done and deadlines met. Working smart is far more important than painting a picture of working hard. I have also been an employee, starting from the bottom rung of the ladder, and never failing to be impressed with and motivated by my superiors who showed me how it was done with their own two hands, from the most menial manually laborious tasks to the most quantitative profit share calculation, and who demonstrated doing it again and again when duty called.

So, if you are that manager/superior – be sure to examine your own actions and set the example you want your own employees to follow. And, if you are that employee, focus on your tasks more and the clock less; if you have superiors who are clock watchers and your position does not warrant adhering to an exact schedule, don’t be afraid to break the timer, leave for lunch, and prove that the quality of your work will not suffer.

Wishing You Success,
Natalya

Stay tuned for a follow-up post, ” Why Employees Break the Chain of Command” based on a study done by Strategy & Business…