I want to say this to my manager, but I can’t

I recently asked UPL followers to share what they would like to say to their managers but can’t. And the results were pretty revealing.

I received around fifteen confessions like “learn how to do the minimum of your job description and stop asking me to do your job,” “no one ever evaluated if you had any emotional intelligence,” and oh so many other comments.

If you want to read the full post, go to UPL Instagram profile, it’s at the top of the feed. Part II is coming up! 

After reading through these comments, I couldn’t help but wonder what’s behind them. And how managers can take advantage of them to uplevel their roles. I believe three key areas would make or break a manager’s credibility as a leader. And I want to share these areas with you. 

Most comments reflected the frustration and plain outrage that managers don’t know how to do the bare minimum of what they were hired to do. And thus, their responsibilities land on their team. Comments such as:

• “Learn how to use Excel, so I don’t have to keep doing all your reports.” 
• And “you have been several years in that role, and yet you don’t understand the basics of your position” 

Are a reflection of this area. 

A manager should not be chosen only because they have the most technical expertise.

To have operational experience is one thing. Managing other human beings is a whole different world. When choosing a manager, both should be considered essential.

And if you don’t like to lead people, please stay within the technical lane, no shame in that. Because being a people manager is one of those things you simply cannot fake to like. 

A leader must be a role model at all times.

The participants expressed how fast they can disengage from a company when their leader lacks ethical and moral principles.

From managers gaslighting their employees to managers having “favorites” who underperform yet never have to face the consequences because they are the manager’s pets. Or managers flat-out commenting about female employees’ appearance (which is appalling and should be immediately addressed).

Managers without moral authority will definitely break an employee’s trust in the organization.

Now that you know three aspects that will break the trust of a team, how can you use this information?

• If you are a people manager: do some serious self-assessment to see how you perform in those three areas. And correct any weaker spot that you might have. 
• If you are part of the HR department: consider incorporating criteria that will evaluate the emotional intelligence or people skills of your candidates for management positions. 
• If you are dealing with a manager who has broken your trust in them: consider speaking up to your HR department to give them visibility of what is happening.

If you found this article useful, please consider sharing it with someone that could benefit from this information.

To your success.