Is your boss constantly on your case, always finding fault and picking at you incessantly or are you the boss and have a struggle getting your employees to perform for you?

Here's a new angle to think about. If you want to learn about people. Listen to their words, especially their criticisms. It will reveal a lot to you about their own insecurities. A person who is comfortable in their own skin and who doesn't have anything to prove won't waste time trying to change those around them.  He knows that the only person he has the power to change is himself.  He will only affect change by adapting his own behaviour. A great leader only leads by example but so many times managers will try the 'Do as I say but not as I do' approach. It simply doesn't work. If you run a business and you want your employees to perform, you will need to perform for them. You will need to believe in them and to actively encourage them.

Remember when you were at school and you were told to bring something into the classroom for 'Show and Tell'?  If you had something to show, kids were more likely to listen to you tell them about it and teachers in their infinte wisdom knew this. Success in business is achieved by both showing and telling. The two compliment one another. If I had to tell a salesman to go out and bring in sales but not equip him with the tools to do the job,  he is not likely to be successful. Will criticizing him help? No, it is more likely that you will deflate his confidence and that will only worsen the situation. Feedback is important but be careful that you make a distinction between the person and the action. Don't ever bring a person down but help them to examine their own actions and identify what went wrong. Then show them the way that works. Once they've mastered the 'how', allow them to experiment as well because it is just possible that they may show you a better way of doing things. There are no absolutes in business and indeed in life. It's good to learn the tried and tested approach and all the rules that go along with it but then to try something new or different. Experimentation will tell you what works and what doesn't work. Those who work for you may show new approaches if you are flexible enough to allow them a little leeway.

Now for the employee who feels under-appreciated or who is being unduly criticized by his / her boss and who is struggling to succeed under those circumstances. It's tough to work in a negative environment with a person who seems intent on pointing out your every mistake but never seems to notice when you do a job well. It may eventually make you feel like you're fighting a losing battle you you will want to give up. That's pretty normal. You can't always choose your boss but you can choose how you react to him. Firstly, if you gain some understanding into his behaviour, you will be better off. In my early 20's I went to work for a large multi-national company and my immediate boss was a little man with huge hangups. In spite of my youth, I soon realised that he was extremely insecure and needed bolstering. The main reason why he would be so difficult was because he felt threatened and his behaviour only worsened the situation. I could see it but I couldn't very well tell him that.  Instead what I did was to boost him (ok ok call me an ass-kisser if you must) and I let him take credit even for the work that I had done (something other employees used to get really annoyed about). I let him know that I admired him and that I wanted to learn from him and suddenly he was more than willing to teach  me what he knew and strangely I learnt a lot through him. After all he hadn't been promoted into that position for no reason. He was an excellent salesman but a terrible manager. I wanted to learn how to sell and he taught me a lot. In a short while I was the top salesperson in my division and when I was asked how I did it, my response was, 'Robert taught me well.' He was literally beaming with pride. I was never criticized after that and in fact when it came time for him to list his replacement, no prizes for guessing who topped his list. I was the youngest person in that company to be promoted to a management position. He was no longer my boss but I had an ally for life. He kept in contact with me throughout my career until he moved to Australia some years ago.

There will be some who will disagree with my techniques but I quickly learnt that if you make an enemy of your boss, you're not going to get anywhere. Make an ally out of him and you have a better chance. Conversely the same holds true if you are the boss. Don't alienate your staff. If they believe you have their best interests at heart (and you better have if you want a successful company), they will be more likely to perform. Never be afraid to reward a person for a job well done. Your reward will be a prospering company. I know a successful business owner who says 'My salesmen earn more than I do and that's how I know I'm on the right track.'  He knew that if his salesmen were doing well, so was his company. If they earned more than him in any given month, it wasn't a threat to him, it was a sign of his success. After all he owned the company. 

© Chanti 2006