Management Training: How To Treat Employees Part 1

The whole reason behind 'Stupid Management Tricks' is that managers, especially those of director level & above do not know how to treat employees. The primary evidence for this is the massive change that occurred years ago when Personnel Departments were renamed to 'Human Resources'. The pervasive labeling of people as a 'resource' begins the process of dehumanizing the employee. In short, you are no longer thought of as a person working for the company, but one the level of a desk or chair, which can be cheerfully discarded when no longer needed. But even more than that, the dehumanizing process again absolves the manager from doing something. Mainly, dealing with employee morale. I mean, a desk or chair will still function if you treat it like crap, right? During my tenure at one of the many Philips companies, a new CEO had the literal nerve to stand up in front of the massive headquarters meeting and say that he's not going to do anything about morale, you'll have to do it. This too is another abdication of responsibility as more than anything, management sets the culture in a company. Opps, forgot, desks & chairs have no culture. Gee, see how easy it works for the manager?

If you look at the great leaders of history: Alexander, Caesar, Patton, etc, one thing that distinguished them from the not-so-great was the observation that they knew their soldiers by name. This is a very powerful thing, it generates a lot of loyalty. When you have someone's loyalty, you can get them to perform virtual miracles. You can ask a lot of them...and get it.

There is one problem with this which is why so many managers don't do it. It takes effort.