Exercise control without freaking out juniors

D. C. SHARMA

A manager who can control his staff well is considered to be an effective and successful officer. It may be a positive statement but “control” here is a negative term — something which is often taken literally by senior staff  making them intolerant towards even normal behaviour of junior staff.  We can control a piece of machinery, say a computer, to benefit from it the maximum, but to control a human worker would mean killing that person’s intelligence, experience and logic besides hurting his self respect. Thus, this type of “control” will in no way enhance a company’s output, productivity and reputation. And yet it would not be possible to the get the maximum from a worker without keeping some kind of control. A manager has to have certain abilities that enable him to get the maximum outpur from his subordinates. So here are the six “cans” to control workers and let them prove their mettle:

Can communicate

A successful manager conveys his intentions through effective communication tools. Rather than forcing your opinion and way of working on the junior staff it is better to give them the freedom to find a way to solve a problem or draw a blueprint to achieve the desired goal. Make more suggestions rather than passing dictats that have to followed verbatim if you want your team to be passionaltely involved in an assignment. That is how cooperation naturally comes to him without his asking for it. 

Can coordinate

As perks and pay enhancements can’t be given to each and everyone, so there can originate some sense of jealousy among those deprived of these incentives. It is here that a successful manager introduces another effective tool of coordination among them. Coordination means bringing the scattered elements in the common action of commitment to achieve the common goal of enhanced productivity.   

Can co-relate

Co-relating what the company has achieved and what it could not do is one of the most important steps that a manager must not miss to apply. It simply means a kind of critical analysis, and a successful manager should try to involve most of the employees in this process.

Can compensate

The last, but not the least, is the step to compensate. A successful manager never delays the act of compensating his subordinates who have undergone some losses while doing their duty. He is the one who knows that a stitch in time saves nine. 

These four ‘cans” when applied diligently never let a manager to lag behind.

— The writer is a Kangra based psychologist & educationist