Why is it that one leader is respected by his subordinates, despite his tough and not very convenient character, while another, who has almost the same traits, is called a tyrant and despot behind his back?
Is it appropriate for a manager to roll up his sleeves and put himself in the shoes of an ordinary employee, or should he, under all circumstances, maintain an appropriate distance from lower-level employees?
Beginning managers ask themselves many similar questions related to the problem of gaining authority among subordinates.
Psychologists who study issues related to the nature of leadership note several harmful tendencies that can seriously undermine the authority of the person appointed to lead the team.
One of them is the desire to appear to be the most knowledgeable, the only one who can cope with pressing production tasks, in other words, a constant demonstration of one’s own omnipotence, which usually has no compelling basis.
Subordinates have much greater respect for a manager who confidently entrusts his employees with complex tasks, emphasizing confidence in their competence and skill.
The harshness shown by a leader is usually perceived by subordinates as a given, but only if it does not border on cruelty.
The ability to show empathy for the director is necessary, but it should be differentiated from the desire to be convenient for everyone: populist ideas sooner or later lead to a loss of authority.
The careerism inherent in some managers also undermines their authority. The lack of one's own convictions does even more harm to one's image: giving up one's own opinion under pressure from circumstances is perceived by subordinates as cowardice or incompetence, but in any case, such characteristics do not add any additional points to one's reputation.
In addition, the leader should remember that a sense of humor does not harm even the highest-ranking statesmen, but its absence does not contribute to gaining authority among subordinates.
As a rule, people without a sense of humor are absolutely not inclined to admit their own mistakes and miscalculations, and the constant demonstration of their own infallibility sooner or later leads to thoughts about the stupidity of someone who sincerely considers himself incapable of even the slightest mistake.
Previously we wrote about 10 habits of successful people .
