tagged: Addressing Issues, Chris Ponder II, Communication, Conflict, Conflict Management, Feedback, Leaders, Managerial Courage, Managers, Negative, Positive, Skills Gap

Wanted: Managerial Courage

Posted by Chris in Lp - Leadership

The past couple of Sundays, I have been watching Celebrity Apprentice on NBC.

I haven’t watched this show in years, but it is usually something I have on in the background while I am working on the blog or some work stuff. Through my evaluation of the show over the past couple of weeks, I have really noticed one thing:  lack of managerial courage.

What is managerial courage you may ask?

Lominger defines managerial courage as:

• Not being afraid to take negative action when necessary
• Facing up to people problems on any person or any situation quickly
• Providing current, direct, complete, and positive feedback to others
• Letting people know where they stand
• Not holding back anything that needs to be said

Going back to the Celebrity Apprentice, I notice many of these “so called” loud-mouth, not afraid to say anything celebrities are not capable of calling a spade a spade when the opportunity presents itself in the boardroom. When Donald asks someone how another person did, you get people who try to go all around the real issues versus addressing them.

Funny enough, I see this same issue with many leaders in today’s workforce. The manager can talk a good game behind close doors with peers, but when it comes to addressing the issue with the employee, it isn’t addressed or it is addressed at such a high-level no one could determine there was a problem.

Addressing the Skill Gap

Addressing this skill gap with leaders isn’t easy because you cannot just make someone like conflict and able to flip the switch to feel comfortable discussing a conflict with someone else. To aid in developing this skill, here are a number of methods one can utilize:

• Bring solutions; don’t always just say something is wrong and not have a potential solution
• Ensure information is accurate before raising the issue
• Practice your message before delivering to others
• Don’t make it personal – stick to the facts and deliver a message that serves a purpose of helping the individual
• Deliver messages timely and in private
• Address situations – don’t be afraid to disagree with something if it doesn’t make sense
• Be sure to provide a balance of both positive and negative feedback over time

What are You Seeing?

Do you see this skill gap with leaders in your organization? What about managers as a whole?

What are some methods you are utilizing to address the skill gap?

Photo Credit:

Executive Performance Fuel