Manoj is a first-time manager. He is the manager for three SDRs
(Sales direct representatives) and has been handling this team for about three years. Manoj finds it challenging to be demanding with his team and tends to be soft even in situations that demand firmness. He often takes a defensive stance because he fears backlash from his team members.
This is a widespread scenario for many managers, especially those fresh into managerial positions.
Sometimes, excessive pampering also becomes an impediment to people’s growth. Do we tend to overprotect our team members? If we do such things, why so?
We have about eight observations about the Managers who succumb to the team dynamics and thereby indirectly encourage unhealthy behaviours :
1. Desire to Be Liked Over Leading Effectively
They prioritise being liked over making tough decisions, leading to avoidance of conflict or confrontation. This often results in poor performance or tolerating negative behaviours to maintain harmony within the team. They perceive a healthy conflict as an issue.
2. Fear of Losing Team Support
Managers might fear being isolated or losing the team’s respect if they enforce rules or address issues. This fear can cause them to overlook unhealthy behaviours such as cliques, favouritism, or bullying.
3. Inconsistent Decision-Making
When managers bend to team pressures, their decisions may appear inconsistent or biased. This inconsistency can erode trust and create an environment where rules are seen as flexible, fostering unhealthy dynamics. This also sets a culture of procrastination across all the layers. As we all know, unproductive habits are contagious.
4. Avoidance of Accountability
These managers may shy away from holding team members accountable for their actions. This reluctance often leads to a lack of consequences for toxic behaviours, which can spread unchecked within the team. The worst thing to do in a business environment is to retain people who repeatedly miss on their commitments.
5. Reinforcement of Toxic Dynamics
By failing to address problematic behaviours, such managers may unintentionally validate them. Over time, this can solidify unhealthy norms, such as gossip, exclusion, and underperformance being acceptable.
The most significant risk in a business environment is to retain toxic behaviours that affect the health of the business and people.
6. Lack of Assertiveness
A manager’s inability to assert authority or provide constructive feedback creates a power vacuum. This can allow dominant or disruptive team members to control the dynamics, often to the group’s detriment.
7. Misinterpretation of Team Bonding
Managers might misinterpret unhealthy behaviours (e.g., exclusion of some team members or excessive informality) as team bonding. This misunderstanding prevents them from addressing underlying issues.
8. Unclear Values or Vision
Without a solid and clear vision, managers may let the team dictate norms, even when those norms are unhealthy. This lack of direction can perpetuate confusion and encourage counterproductive behaviours.
Recommendations:
- Build Awareness: Train managers to recognise the impact of their actions and the consequences of enabling unhealthy behaviours. Read more about our CUVA programmes.
- Encourage Constructive Feedback: Equip managers with tools to address conflicts and provide feedback reasonably and assertively. Visit the work done by our group company, Groval Selectia, on this aspect – https://grovalselectia.com/effective-performance-appraisals/
- Foster Accountability: Establish clear team values and enforce them consistently to discourage toxic dynamics.
- Empower Leadership Development: Focus on developing managers’ confidence and emotional intelligence to lead effectively without succumbing to negative pressures.
Would you like to explore practical interventions or examples to address this further?
Please visit our web page, which is dedicated to this aspect: https://kabirlearning.in/leadership-coaching/
Reflective questions:
- What makes Managers very submissive to unhealthy behaviours?
- What leads to issues of a toxic work culture?
- How can managers build assertiveness?
