QUESTION: My colleagues do not listen to me because of their ego; they would if I were their manager.
REALITY: This could be about your Communication style; or the manager might not hays made your role clear.
There is a tendency to listen to and take direction only from the Manager, When some senior employees are asked to coordinate and provide guidance to team members, they sometimes complain that people do not listen to them; these seniors also feel sometimes that if they. had a manager’s label, they would have had the authority to push ideas. Some go even further and say that it’s the big ego of the teen; members that makes them take the approach of non-cooperation.
There s no doubt it is not easy to get things clone when a person does not have authority. But a real leader is one who can influence, guide and drive things without having direct. authority. Of course, this requires the support of the manager. During team meetings, the manager has to make the rote and the responsibility of senior members clear; he also has empower them to drive some of the activities. This will help in removing the Confusion within the team.
People get confused between listening and -agreeing. They. think that if they have told the team something and the latter have listened, it means that they agree and will do exactly as asked. So, when it doesn’t find acceptance, the senior person should introspect as to why it happened that way. He could ask for feedback too: Is his style too domineering? Are the juniors not feeling empowered to take some decisions on their own? Has he been criticizing people in public? Is lie not open to team members’ ideas and suggestions? It could also be that the senior person lacks expertise in his domain. Several seniors are experts in their core area for which they are respected; and they would be respected even more if they had great soft skills.
To have a good team environment, the members of the team should be hungry to learn, irrespective of the source of learning. The senior members should encourage the rest of the team to come out with alternative suggestions and Valuate them based on Merit. Listening is very important for senior team members, too. It encourages the team members to voice their concerns, provide better ideas and build a consensus in choosing the right solution. Then there’s the possibility that the team members themselves feel that the senior has a big ego, which prevents him from accepting the flaws in his solution. Communication skills are important, whether junior or senior. However, even after the manager has clearly defined the role of each team member through several meetings and correspondence, there’s still a chance of things getting out of hand. In such situations, the manager should enter into some difficult discussions on a continuing basis till the team resolves its issues.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? Even if you do not have clear positional authority, you should strive to do a good job of convincing. This will determine whether you have something substantial to offer, Most of the time, the issue is not about subject-matter skills, but about the style of communication an the body language. The team members will listen to you provided you bundle your subject-matter expertise and soft skills well; then they will see value in interacting with you. Permanent respect is Commanded by the skills you possess, not by the position you hold.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE MANAGER? You should make each team member’s role and responsibility clear so that each one knows whom and when to approach. If the issue is about a person’s lack of proper soft skills, then coach him to improve in this area.
