Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir

By Steve Carter



Very recently I was sat in our local pub waiting for friends to arrive. At the table next to me, there was a bit of a debate going on between two guys who, I would guess, were in their late thirties, early forties. Normally conversations going on around me are just white noise, but I did listen in on this occasion for a couple of reasons. First, the content was quite intriguing and second, one of the guys had a fairly loud and overbearing voice, so I didn’t have much choice.

Anyway, the conversation was based on management style. The louder of the two was explaining to his friend that a manager should always dictate to their team members what needs to be done, exactly how to do it and when it needs to be done by. The other guy commented that he felt that a manager should discuss workload, projects etc with their team members and reasoned that talking things through is likely to boost morale and achieve better results. Before he had chance to finish what he was saying, the first guy fired back in stating that a manager will always know best, as they have been there before, already have all the expertise and experience that team members don’t and reiterated that a managers job is to tell people what to do and team members should just get on and do it.

As I sat and listened to this rather one sided debate, a couple of things sprang to mind. For those of you old enough to remember the comedy, Harry Enfield and Chums, you may recall the Self Righteous Brothers sketches. The louder guy on the next table would have been well at home in those sketches. The other thing that came to mind was when I was given my first opportunity in management, back in the nineties. Having promoted me into the position, the owner of the company offered me one piece of advice. He told me that, in my team, there will always be people who will be able to perform aspects of their role better than I can. That is why they were put there in the first place and my job is to use my skill to encourage my team and bring the best out of them. Sound advice which has always stuck with me and always will.

Going back to the debate on the next table, I know which way I always liked to be managed and I would also like to think that I know which option I utilise to get the best results for my team.

How about you?



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