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Wednesday, 10 September, 2008#

What Kind of Manager Are You?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

There are two kinds of managers and both types communicate in two very different styles.

One is the Hands-On: They criticise and judge their staff.

If, as a manager, you choose to judge (criticism, implied or otherwise), you will provoke defensiveness and withdrawal, not creativity or productivity.

When you hammer your people or find them coming up short, this is when you then start to criticise and micromanage them. In this age of sensitivity of the knowledge-based worker, that is a self-destructive cycle. It engenders nothing but resentment.

When we judge our people and then hold grudges, we are giving our power away. When we resent a team member, we are giving that power to that person we are angry with by allowing him/her to occupy and dominate our thinking. The real power in leadership comes from partnering with your staff and not criticising them.

The other one type is the Hands-Off: They mentor and coach their staff.

The ‘hands-off’ manager sets himself apart by retaining all his power. His practice is to understand everyone he meets. By doing this, he is reducing his own stress level at work. He is completely aware that every time he judges someone, he alters his own well-being.

So he refuses to assign the responsibility for negative feelings to that person he is tempted to judge. He assigns the responsibility for this low feeling to the thought he has formed about that person. Only these thoughts create stress, not the people. This is his mental attitude.

Please take a moment to ponder… What kind of a manager are you?

Your friend,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd
 

Interesting story? How about sharing?
 #
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:25:14 AM UTC #    Comments [3]  |  Trackback

 

Friday, January 09, 2009 9:18:46 AM UTC
Hi Mr Bismark,

This is a thought-provoking article/comment.

‘Hands-off’ management isn’t always productive. Sometimes team members grow with lots of space, but sometimes people flounder due to a lack of direction, or even become lazy. For this style to work there needs to be strong boundaries and deliverables.

‘Hands-on’ management or micromanagement is the polar opposite. Not many employees like to be micromanaged (although sometimes it is necessary).

A ‘hands-on’ style is not good for generating trust and creativity. Again, it can be demoralising if a team member makes a decision and then a ‘hands-on’ manager overrules the decision made.

Surely there is a middle ground within this spectrum, where a manager knows when to get involved, when to work alongside/train and when to give space.

This middle ground requires some faith and confidence in your own management style and also an amount of trust in your team members.

At the end of the day, I think that a leader needs to have elements of both ‘hands-on’ and ‘hands-off’ management.

On one side of a coin, employees want a bit of freedom to learn, create and the opportunity for learning experiences (made by making mistakes). On the other, companies want managers who are ‘hands-on’ and are involved in the daily operations.

To my understanding, a great manager, needs to be visible yet detached, interested/involved and aware about the productivity/business, approachable and be prepared to train alongside/jump in/mentor when team members truly need your help.

Best Regards,

Simon Illingworth
General Manager, Prana Resorts & Spa – Q Lifestyle Group
Simon Illingworth
Friday, January 09, 2009 9:19:15 AM UTC
Dear Simon,

I agree totally, finding the balance is very important. The ‘Gem’ is meant to provoke your thinking process and to stimulate thoughts that will be applicable to your current situation.

Adapt... Adjust... Accommodate... these are the primary principles we need to adopt in a challenging work place.

Thank you very much for your thoughts and comments!

Sincerely,
Joseph Bismark
Friday, January 09, 2009 9:20:45 AM UTC
Dear brother Japa,

this is my private email to you,

Your training DVDs is hard to understand for me,i was uncomfortable with your trainings,

but finally i saw you in V Africa for the first time,on that time i only Love Dato vijay.but i found You and pathman there and be in love with you also.

let me send my great thanks to you for foundering this company.

dear brother,i hope this weblog can help us to grow more.

brother,please look at Iran IRs sometimes,we believe in you but also need your advice always.

dear brother Japa,Help us to grow with other IRs.

I have a little team in Iran and with God help they all believe in you,please look at us sometimes.
you can test my team,show Dato movie they all cry.

you are the master on one and one,dear brother help us more,please share with us,you know Iran is block the only way is DVDs,less meeting,even we have no V educate,V educate only we see in V website,but the case is not meeting,is we like to carry concepts like other IRs around the worlds. I like my team be like others and don't think we disconnect from company vision.
brother it is important to share us why you are master on one and one?

Inservice,
Mostafa
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QuestNet Mr Joseph Bismark

Profile

When Joseph 'Japadas' Bismark became the Group Managing Director of multimillion-dollar global conglomerate QI Group of Companies in December 2008, the face of the organisation that he co-founded a decade ago began to change immediately. His role of Executive Chairman of QI Group's subsidiary QuestNet also took on new life.

Even as Mr Bismark took over the mantle from his partner, he had already established a firm channel of communication with employees of the organisation and thousands of entrepreneurial aspirants through his popular Gem of Wisdom (GOW) series.

A firm believer in the power of teamwork, he has repeatedly stated, "I am only as good as my team".

A man of immense spiritual character and inspiration to his family, friends and business partners worldwide, Mr Bismark's leadership style is as unique as the man himself. His views and actions serve as a constant reminder that success is not just built on material achievements, but also on spiritual growth, inner satisfaction and peace, which we acquire through meaningful service to others. His musings on this Gems of Wisdom blog help ensure that employees and customers of the company never lose focus of the fundamental values on which the QI Group was built.


What are the Gems of Wisdom?

"Welcome to the blog of the Gem of Wisdom (GOW) series. This is the place where I am able to share my thoughts and reflections on life with all of you. My treasured employees within the QI Group have long been privy to these Gems through an internal QuestNet company email I send out a few times a week, as well as through the QI Group intranet. As many of the email and intranet's readers have shared the GOW with their friends and associates outside of the company, I have had more and more requests to make my little Gems available to a wider audience.

It seems there are many people out there who want to take a more proactive approach in analysing the world around them and their place within that world, both literally and spiritually. And so, here I am, entering the online universe in a humble attempt to spread a bit of what my own life experiences have taught me through these Gems of Wisdom. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them; such is the joy of sharing. Please join me in not only sharing my thoughts, but in sharing your own thoughts, comments, feedback, and even your own Gems of Wisdom, with me."

-- Joseph Bismark

Gems for All

True to that philosophy, Mr Bismark has empowered his team to give a voice to the changes they seek, helping him to lead the organisation into a new decade of excellence. Gems of Wisdom is that voice through which even the most junior employees of the group are able to take part in the evolution of the company and share their personal thoughts. By turning his Gem of Wisdom series into the Gems of Wisdom blog, Mr Bismark has opened that channel to everyone.















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