There are two main management styles, the more common, Fear Based sytle, is far less productive than the less common, Respect Based Style. Many people mistake fear for respect, you cannot have both.
Fear is demanded. Respect is earned. You cannot have both. Most Employers say they want their staff to respect them, however they behave in old style ways where they "boss" their employees around and belittle them. This does not earn you respect, and will result in negative employee actions, and a loss of productivity.
Fear Based Management:
This method of management has its roots in two of the most heinous aspects of humanity. Control through fear exists in slavery and the military mindset that accompanies war. Employees are controlled through witnessing poor treatment of their co-workers and a fear of the same occurring to them if they complain or step out of line. This disallows honesty in the workplace for fear of the whip, firing squad,or in modern times - firing, loss of a job. Employers and Employees in this system can never truly be honest with each other. This system allows the manipulation and resentment that comes about through the practice of "Brown Nosing". This system promotes the employees who sabotage one another, and at times their employer. In this system a business can not reach it's best potential because the egos of employers and management who use fear based management simply will not allow them to hear complaints or suggestions . Employees are either afraid to make suggestions for improvement, or punished when they do make suggestions for improvements ,or point out overlooked errors , thus hurting the employers ego.
Fear based employers do not want to hear complaints or dissatisfaction remarks from their staff. They only want to hear good things. Only hearing good things does not allow improvements to be made or errors to be amended.
You may think you know your employees when you run this system, but you really don't. Fear based Management means that you will never know anyone truly, and no one will ever know you. This leads to all manner of social and personal ills. Slavery in most of the world has been abolished and the militaries are of the world can only hold their power with the threat of death or court marshal. Do you really want to run your company this way?
Fear Based Management leads to higher employee turnover and thus loss of capital, investment, time and resources. Higher turn over of staff increases training expenses of new staff. Also it creates resentment of the employer and may lead to staff theft and disloyalty. Production is lower because employees really don't care if you succeed or not, and may actually want you (personally) to fail.
Management and Parenting are not the same thing. Whomever came up with that notion was an idiot. If you treat your employees like children and they will not respect you and they will resent you. No one likes to be treated like a child except an actual child (IE anyone under the age of 10).
Respect Based Management:
There are very few companies or employers who have enough self esteem to follow this method. A respect based employer is decent and correct in character and behavior. A respect based employer willingly listens to the complaints of their employees and recognizes that not everything is always perfect.
Very few people in the world are totatly honest. People hate honesty as it is a hard pill to shallow. If an employer wants their business to reach it's best potential then they must be willing to hire people who will tell them the truth. "YES-Men" or Women should be sent packing. A good employer needs to be able to see through the brownnosing. Employers must be willing to listen to employees that will tell them "No, this can not be done like that", "This is not working right", or "Customers don't like this" without taking it personally. If management takes on a "God-Complex" they will lose respect and foster resentment.
If you want every thing "simple and to the point" and everything "sunshine and roses", then management most likely is not the ideal position for you. Simply because somethings are not "simple and to the point". "Bottom lines" are not always concrete or accurate. If you are a person that just wants the "bottom line", let's hope you have a lot of money already and all those above that bottom line have personal integrity. Because the "Bottom Line" can be deceptive and often is.
Management should always remember that brown nosers and workplace saboteurs will stab them in the back just as quickly as they will their fellow employees. Management should, just as Judges, never except gifts, cards, or anything to that effect from individual employees.
If something is not an employees job and is passed off on to do, then don't get mad at them for not doing it correctly, or not at all. Get mad at the person who passed it off on them. Be clear in what each departments responsibility is and why that distinction is important. This is one of the biggest reasons for workplace trauma and drama.
Respect is a two way street, set by the example of the employer. An employer who respects their staff does not talk down to them and does not "micro-manage" them. An employer who respects their staff allows their staff to have input on how the business is run. An employer who respects their staff willingly admits sometimes an employee may know more than they do.
Employees who respect their employer will be harder working, more loyal, and will stick around longer.
