New Leader Management Crash Course Handbook

Author: Hou Yuehui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Truly caring about your subordinates' warmth and coldness is leading a team to accomplish work. Only by caring for your subordinates and winning their loyalty can you truly establish your influence. This principle is well-known to all leaders, but when it comes to implementation, they often fall into. These mistakes include:
(1) Equating caring for subordinates with petty favors Some middle managers believe that since they don’t have the power to decide raises or promotions, they can only rely on small favors to show their concern for their subordinates. Petty favors can only win subordinates’ temporary favor, while many are more concerned about their career development and overall skill improvement. Once you fail to meet their slightly higher needs, subordinates will feel you don’t truly care about them. Moreover, petty favors often come at the expense of the organization’s overall interests, and if exposed, it can also harm you.
(2) Making empty promises Each subordinate has expectations for raises and promotions. As a new leader, you naturally want to leverage this demand for motivation. Should you directly tell them you’re working for their raises and promotions, or is it better not to say anything? If you don’t, you worry subordinates will think you don’t care about them. However, the result of making light-headed promises is worse. Mature companies have their own established rules and procedures for salaries and promotions, which you cannot change arbitrarily. If a promise falls through, you will lose credibility in the eyes of your subordinates. This will also give your superiors a bad impression of you, making them think you’re ambitious and secretly building your own team. Therefore, never make promises lightly. Caring for subordinates is more about actions than words. Let them feel you are genuinely working to meet their expectations and taking action, such as praising them in front of superiors and colleagues, giving them space to showcase their talents, and entrusting them with important tasks. If you’ve made a commitment but circumstances change, making it impossible to fulfill, the best solution is to apologize to your subordinates and honestly explain the reasons for the failure, seeking their understanding.
(3) Confusing concern for subordinates’ work with genuine care Managers pay great attention to their subordinates’ work, as it directly affects their own performance. However, excessive concern for work can make subordinates, feeling you don’t trust them or doubt their abilities. Moreover, subordinates are living, breathing people with diverse needs. If you only focus on work matters and neglect their other needs, you might be labeled a “cold-blooded animal.”
(4) Misalignment between concern and subordinates’ actual needs For example, if a young subordinate complains about being too tired at work, you might assume they want a raise and try to push the HR department to do so. In reality, the true reason for their fatigue is their anxiety about an unclear career path—their “heart is tired,” and what they truly need is guidance on their career development. This requires managers to deeply understand their subordinates so that their genuine care aligns with their actual needs.
(5) Incorrect methods of caring for subordinates For instance, if you ask a new salesperson in detail how to promote the company’s products or build relationships with clients, you might think you’re helping them discover their shortcomings and providing guidance. However, they may feel you don’t trust them. Another example is giving business guidance to a senior salesperson in a department meeting, but they might feel you’re embarrassing them rather than caring about them. In both cases, your concern is misunderstood, failing to achieve the desired effect and even backfiring.
(6) Lack of fairness in treatment It’s common in life for leaders to trust some people deeply, treating them as confidants, while keeping others under close watch or even using confidants to monitor them. Subordinates are divided into different categories: confidants are given anything they ask for and treated exceptionally well; those with lukewarm relationships are either courted with petty favors or ignored; and those who are unruly or difficult are given the cold shoulder. Another form of unfairness is treating male and female subordinates differently, assuming women have lower achievement motivation and prefer stable, comfortable jobs. As a result, their basic needs are over-cared for, while their higher-level needs like career development are neglected. Lack of fairness will demotivate employees, create internal friction, and harm organizational unity.
(7) Caring for subordinates means meeting all their demands People’s needs are endless—once one is met, another arises. Subordinates have diverse needs, some aligned with organizational goals, while others conflict with them. As a supervisor, you can only try to meet those that align with organizational objectives, while refusing unreasonable demands and even giving harsh criticism. Otherwise, you’ll harm both your subordinates and yourself in the long run. P300-301