Stop managing your people

03 november 2020

Managing, until relatively recently, used to focus heavily on exercising control over employees. The preferred leadership style was commanding, and the employee’s emotional experience rather neglected.

In fact, if you look up the definition of ‘managing’ you’ll find something along the likes of “maintaining control over”.

Which begs the question, who likes being controlled anyway?

Well, from experience, I can tell you that not too many of us do. Not by our spouses, not by our parents, and definitely not by our bosses.

Luckily — at least in most parts of the world — companies are acknowledging that an employee’s sense of wellbeing directly correlates to the success of the company. And acknowledgment happens to be the first step needed to create change.

But if “managing” your people, the old way, is no bueno anymore, what’s a manager to do?

Well Simon Sinek once famously stated:

Don’t manage me, lead me.

And it’s a pretty great quote.

Because leading your employees, motivating them, and developing their potential will allow them to feel in-powered™. And it just so happens that in-powered™ employees work harder, call in sick less, and make their companies more profitable.

In fact, not managing your people, but allowing them to have impact of their own, turns out to be a total win-win.

So, has your company already recognized that the controlling days are gone? We'd love to hear about it.