MYTH : I feel there is a glass wall between me and my manager.
REALITY: Either your manager is very reserved or you are not confident enough to approach him.
When a person joins a team, he takes time to adjust—to both the project and his colleagues. It is equally important for him to adjust with the manager. Each manager has his own management style, his strengths and weaknesses. If an employee is used to having a friendly manager who hangs around with his team members, then it will take him time to adjust to a more serious and ‘no-nonsense’ kind of a manager. These managers are ‘men of few words’. They are rack-solid in their subject and know more about it than their subordinates, and their communication style is direct, and questions are penetrating, This might make an employee uncomfortable. This sort of a manager will never say ‘no’ to any request for a team discussion and will spend time with individuals and the team as a whole. But for any discussion, he will expect his subordinate to come prepared. So, there can occur a situation where the subordinate becomes diffident about approaching him. Then the subordinate might start feeling that there exists a glass wall between him and the manager.
A lot of employees find such a manager ‘unbearable’ and they blame- him for creating such an environment. But it would be good for such employees to ask themselves some harsh questions, such as, whether they are not confident enough to approach the manager; this lack of self-confidence may have to do with the fact that they have not come to grips with the project, or it may be that they have not put in the required effort. Then, of course, there are also certain personality types who are inhibited when it comes to seeking help.
Instead of blaming the manager or being scared of him, the employee should feel lucky to have this type of a boss from whom he can learn new skills. Here, it is better to focus on the content rather than the way a message is delivered. On the other hand, the manager should also take steps to make the work environment more open. He should realize that people are not coming out with their opinions, and he should plan team meetings and one-on-one discussions to give them an opportunity to voice their issues and concerns. Sometimes, it is hard for a new employee to make his opinions known to the manager. Therefore, the onus lies on the manager to make it happen. The wall can be broken only by free, frank and frequent interactions.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? Prepare yourself well before approaching the manager. This helps in crystallizing your thoughts and makes you explore various other perspectives to build your case. if you are confident and have a good grasp on the subject, then you can easily interact with the manager. You should start impressing him with your knowledge. Once the manager starts having respect for you, you will soon see a shift in his behavior.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE MANAGER? You should make yourself approachable. You need to build a relationship with .your team members so that they can talk to you any time on any issue which may be bothering them. By not adopting this approach and by making your subordinates think that they would be disturbing you, you will hinder a free ‘flow of information and sometimes miss great ideas. Forget about the bad news, they may not even tell you the good news if you maintain an icy attitude.
