Source: Image of man in suit at laptop, man listening, man on phone at laptop, man pointing, images by Video Scribe, License held by Jeff Carroll.
Hi, I'm Jeff. And in this lesson, we'll learn how managers should interact with their direct reports. So let's get started.
If a manager is to succeed in an organization, he or she must care about their direct reports. A manager without a good relationship with their reports will not be able to motivate those same reports to meet the goals and objectives of an organization. A good manager will show interest in both the work and non-work lives of direct reports, ask about their plans, problems, and desires.
Different people have different motivations. So it's important for the manager to understand each individual, be available for listening to personal problems. Everyone can be affected by issues outside the workplace, and managers should understand when their direct reports have issues.
Stay aware of workloads and appreciate the extra effort. A good manager should not overload workers. And direct reports should be rewarded for effort beyond the normal.
As we have discussed, employees are also more motivated when they see all staff are treated equally. A good manager will treat all reports equitably. Managers should approach each direct report without bias or discrimination.
Act fairly. Each report should be managed in a similar way. Have candid discussions. A manager should clearly describe any rewards or consequences associated with a direct reports work and not have ulterior motives.
All information that a direct report needs should be communicated to the individual. However, if problems do arise and a manager must handle issues with a direct report, then they should use the following guidelines, deal with problem direct reports firmly. Managers should not be harsh, but they should be clear in their communication about the issues.
Address the issue in a timely manner. Delays will only cause further problems. Regularly review performance.
A direct report should not be surprised by issues during an annual review. They should learn about these issues as they occur. And a manager should not be overly afraid of decisions which may be viewed as negative by the direct report.
Criticism can always occur with decisions. And the managers should use the conversation as an opportunity to explain their position to the direct report and listen to their feedback. OK, nicely done.
In this lesson, we learned how managers should care about their direct reports. We discuss that all direct reports should be treated fairly. And we talked about the guidelines for confronting direct reports about issues. Thanks for your time, and have a great day.