The Magical Management Question

How often have you heard managers challenge their employees with questions and/or comments like these....
“How could you have done it like THAT!?“
“Whatever made you think THAT would work?”
“You know, I just don’t get how you think. This is NOT what we’re after.”
“We’ve been over and over THIS, and you still don’t get it!”
“You went off on this hair-brain scheme and expect me to be pleased!?”

First, these are NOT the magical management question I’ve referred to in the title. These are examples of what managers blurt out when they’ve lost their focus, their care, and their ability to draw out the best from their team members and/or employees.

But when you look at the situation from a distinctly different vantage point, recognizing that your team member is someone distinctly DIFFERENT from you, and then you focus on engaging in sincere CURIOSITY about them, it allows you to keep your cool, even when you are shocked by their behavior.

Only then can you learn about the other person’s perspective, what prompted them to approach the issue the way they did. Only then can you discover what might be an even better way to view the problem than you had in mind. And if not, you at least end up understanding either the error in their perspective (which you can respectfully correct), or their limited capacity around the issue at hand (which may require moving them to another position in the team or company).

When you inquire about the other’s differentness, you ask Magical Management Questions!
Here are a few examples:
:
“Help me understand your perspective on this.”
“I’d like to better understand how you approached this in order to come to this conclusion.”
“Please describe your thought process on this, it’s different than I expected and I want to get to know you better in this way.”
“You have a unique approach here, and I need you to explain how you got to this POV (point of view).”
“How is it that you see the issue in this manner? It’s unlike how anyone else has approached it and I’m really curious about how your mind works.”

As you can see most of those aren’t actually questions, though they require the listener to answer and explain themselves. And that’s the point.

When you as a manager are conscious of and ready to inquire about the differentness of the other person you gain access to the way they function rather than attack or challenge or punish the other for their Otherness.

That’s not to say you won’t have to course correct for some people, but you will have first and foremost provided respect for differentness and that’s Magical Management—a management style that will reap great rewards for you and for those who work for you!

How have you been treated with respect for your differentness?

(Photo: difference by romano carrattieri/Flickr)

Judith Sherven, PhD and her husband Jim Sniechowski, PhD https://JudithandJim.com have developed a penetrating perspective on people’s resistance to success, which they call The Fear of Being Fabuloustm. Recognizing the power of unconscious programming to always outweigh conscious desires, they assert that no one is ever failing—they are always succeeding. The question is, at what? To learn about how this played out in the life of Whitney Houston for example, and how it may be playing out in your own life, check out their 6th book: https://WhatReally KilledWhitneyHouston.com

Currently consultants on retainer to LinkedIn providing transformational executive coaching, leadership training and consulting as well as working with other corporate and private clients around the world, they continually prove that when unconscious beliefs are brought to the surface, the barriers to greater success and leadership presence begin to fade away. You can learn about their core program “Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous” by going to
https://OvercomingtheFearofBeingFabulous.com

Their 7th book, short and to the point, “25 Power Speaking Tips That Will Leave Your Audiences Wanting More,” is available in kindle at: https://tinyurl.com/25PWRSPKGTips

And if you are involved in marketing, you may be interested in their 5th book “Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back” https://tinyurl.com/lovecustomersbk