Power, Always?
Do managers, when talking to their teams or direct reports, always speak from a position of power?
No. It is however an easy impression, and one important thing for those of us in managerial roles to keep an eye on.
Most of us honestly care about the people we’re responsible for. Sometimes this means giving some “tough love”, which is explicitly not the same as wielding power. It’s simply our job.
In these cases, it’s important to speak with radical candor (care personally, challenge directly) and avoid at all cost to slide down the slippery slope towards obnoxious aggression (challenging directly without caring personally). Falling into that trap is easy, and can easily cause a lot of damage.
It can help to bear in mind that we should always respect people, not titles. That makes for more natural conversations all around.
Tags: work