The owner or CEO may have one attitude/”way”/voice with his/her employees, but what about department managers?
The problem comes when managers run their departments and deal with their employees “as they see fit”. They may be better at it than the person at the top, which is great. But what if they aren’t? What if they yell at people? What if they make people hate their jobs? What if they chase away talent? What if they impose punishments that are not authorized by anyone else? What if they gossip about and ostracize their own employees?
It’s not a question of whether the manager cares or not. They may care deeply and that’s WHY they mistreat people – chasing good people out of their department and winding up with new people or those who have to put up with it because they can’t find any other job.
Be aware. Tell your managers how to treat people. You set the culture from the top, and only accept improvements; not managers making it worse.
This is excellent advice!
Very well stated – this is one of the most critical concepts for a successful organization and in my opinion all too often overlooked. Larry’s thought here should be taped on the desk of every leader – nicely done.
Replacing an employee by a newer department manager’s suggestion is something that should be investigated. Not all managers know how to inspire and get the best out of each individual. Some employees are introverted or less articulate but that does not necessarily makes them a bad employee. Managers are the ones who need to get the most training so they know how to inspire individuals.