MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Winning hearts and minds
One of the vital elements of forming mutually respectful relationships with subordinates, equals and peers is getting a managers ideas heard and accepted by all. Tahziba Hossain, an HR manager, recognises this fact and puts into practice in her role as manager. She believes that having influence enables a manager to gain support and commitment of her employees. Two basic qualities that she needed were ability to communicate freely and effectively and ability to raise and engage interest of employees. Along with these qualities one must develop an authoritative and reliable reputation.
Winning hearts and minds of subordinates is the first and foremost requirement of a manager to succeed in getting his /her ideas hear and accepted. The powers of persuasion contribute directly in achieving your goals. You win peoples hearts when you respect their aspirations, interests and concerns. In order to persuade people the merits of a proposal or a task to perform you need to demonstrate how your ideas meet their needs. In order to win their minds you must research your subject matter and present a good case. It will also be necessary to discuss among staff your ideas and come out with a negotiated solution that meets their needs and that of yours.
Being influential is a good quality. Before you speak to your team you must (a) order your thoughts logically; (b) improve your credibility by being well informed; (c) arrange for a two way dialogue; (d) be flexible in your approach and consider other peoples viewpoints. Last but not the least, notice staffs body language positive or negative. If positive you are through, if negative you have to have another meeting with them. Never enforce or resort to coercion. To build a top performing team, Tahziba first discovered the shared values of her team members. This would prepare her the way for the next step i.e. to mobilize the shared energy of the team members. She always tried to know how their inspirational goals could be achieved. She developed an action plan together with a secondary plan plan A and plan B. In case plan A did not work, for any reason, plan B would take place. While the team was engaged in working towards these goals, she was always available to defuse internal conflicts, worries and problems.
Avoid DO WHAT I SAY attitude. Good managers work with others to create work agreements to achieve results. You must have a SMART goal. Appeal to their needs and attitudes. If you are addressing people junior to you, it may be necessary to take the lead, with senior managers you may only be required to deliver a brief. Tailor your points to suit the decision makers and definitely win the respect of your senior managers. Good influencers look sound and act convincing. Take steps to increase your confidence, improve your ability to influence others and build trusting relationships and rapport.
Cultivate leadership skills. Remember good leaders are people who can inspire others. They are adept in balancing the need to get the job done. Be proactive. Dont wait for opportunities to come to you. Put yourself at the fore front of projects. Put yourself at the helm of affairs. People who back away from challenges are usually reactive. Interpret events in a positive way and take the initiative in making things happen. Learn from mistakes and ignore situations that are beyond your control. Look for solutions to problems.
Winning hearts and minds of employees is an effective managers call. Through this strategy you can sway opinion among teams and individuals. This is how one can persuade employees to give their best efforts to achieve goals and objectives.
The writer is HR consultant, Ha-Meem Group
