Being a Boss: It’s Personal
We all know how Social Media sites have removed the concept of what’s personal and what’s publicly available for all to see. Most people ‘over-share’ to start with and end up in debilitating professional situations. This note is not about that.
I’ve recently read articles on how we need to keep some personal information private as it might otherwise hamper other peoples’ perception of us at work. And negative perception once created is incredibly hard to break. Absolutely true…in case you are into personal practices that negatively impact your efficacy at work. However, if that is true, you won’t last very long in the company in any case. Truth has vaporous ways of coming out…doesn’t it? And again, this note is not about that.
This note is to all the bosses. Get Personal!!! Do you know my wife’s name? Do you know the age of my kids? Do you know how much time it takes me to commute to work? Do you know which sport I’m good at? No. Why?
We spend hours together at work. A large chunk of my productive life will be spent aligning myself to the goals of the company and I will be expected to take them on as my own. Then why should my immediate boss…the one appraises my work…know nothing about what really goes on in my life. Finally all of it will have an impact on how I perform at work, isn’t it?
A number of small family run businesses do exceedingly well cause the bosses/owners are directly involved with their employees. They make an effort to get involved, remember small details and basically treat humans as humans. Most importantly they provide a willing ear.
Of course, an astute boss does steer the discussion to what the employee really wants to do, how much does s/he want to achieve and in what span of time. However, these discussions can only make sense and solicit the correct response if they happen often and not as part of the annual ‘lets-get-this-shit-over-with’ appraisal.
Have read something similar very recently about costly employee disengagement with work and how it can be cured. Try it…please.