Manager's Leadership Style

Nice Manager: Critical Analysis of Human Behavior Chisum Industries has over the past promoted managers from within its ranks. Harry Creighton was a middle manager who was considered by workers as a nice manager. The workers referred to him like this because Harry was always there and willing to assist them with their work. Top managers who included Marcus Chisum were conducting a meeting to discuss whom they would promote for top management positions from amongst the middle managers.

Harry was next on their list, and all the top managers seem to agree that he is a good manager, and he has managed to motivate employees and increasing performance levels. Harry also has a good relationship with his employees, which demonstrates his personality. It is clear that Harrys personality trait is agreeableness (Daft, 2013, p. 466). The top managers feel that Harry is not fully qualified because he does not have the skills to manage employees.

He might be a popular manager, but those are not the skills for a top manager. Harry needs to have the ability to say 'No' to his employees and taka a tough stance in some situations. Harry is not seen as a manager, but rather like a co-worker who is always willing to assist and take on responsibilities. Analysis The major issue with Harry's is his personality trait. Harry's personality trait is that of agreeableness, which means he can get along with his junior employees (Hudson, Roberts, & Lodi-Smith, 2012).

Harry is likable, and this is why the employees describe him as a nice manager. Been always willing to assist the employees and to take over their responsibilities is another feature of an agreeable personality trait. Having a good relationship with his employees allowed Harry to motivate them and influence them to perform better. Harry's personality trait is a hindrance to his promotion to top management. This is because at that level there is no room for softness.

There are tough roles and decisions that he will have to make, which might not be possible because of his personality trait. The personality trait becomes an issue because Harry was faced with a situation, which required him to motivate the employees and increase their morale. In order for him to do this, it is most probable that he immersed himself in their work and offered a helping hand at all times.

The employee morale and performance did improve, but Harry did not know how to tear himself from the situation he had created. Harry was not able to manage himself, which resulted in him performing tasks that were not his. Clarity of objectives is what Harry needs the most. Once he can know what he needs to do and the steps to take, he will manage to tear himself from the other responsibilities. A good manager should bring out the best in their employees.

Covering up the employees weaknesses will only work against the manager. This is because the employees will become dependent on the manager to perform what they cannot. Harry seemed to give the employees some slack when it came to meeting deadlines and sloppiness in their work. This demonstrates that he lacks the capability to be a top manager, and he cannot make tough decisions. Harry was more comfortable with being popular and not providing leadership to the employees.

Managers have difficult tasks to perform, and they cannot be responsible for helping out the employees at all times. There are managers who are introverts, and they still make good managers. What Harry should understand is how to differentiate official work and social responsibilities. It is possible for Harry to offer leadership and still be agreeable and social with the employees.

Solutions Harry is not so different from other managers, he has the potentials of a good leader and a top manager, but he needs assistance from the other top managers. There are two ways that they can assist him. The first one is encouraging Harry to increase his self-awareness. The second is offering Harry a chance to change his perception of his management style. A good manager should understand himself and others. It is easy to understand others, which is why one needs to have self-awareness.

Self-awareness has been established to be the most important capability to have or develop (Bratton, Dodd, & Brown, 2011). Been self-aware will allow a manager to understand their personality traits, emotions, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes. Harry does not understand the position he has and the responsibilities of his position. Harry lacks self-awareness, which makes it easy for the employees to slack on their work and request that he assists them. This lack of self-awareness is hurting his chances of advancing in his career.

There are two ways that Harry can increase his understanding of himself. Soliciting feedback and self-assessments. Soliciting feedback is a way of mirroring oneself by asking others to tell them what they think of him and his managerial style. This feedback would allow Harry to see himself in a new light and start to make necessary changes. Feedback is vital for job satisfaction and performance improvement for the employees and the manager.

Having a clear picture of who he truly is will enable Harry to see himself differently and understand the mistakes he had been making. According to Daft (2013, p. 456) Perception is the cognitive process one uses to make sense of their environment. Harry's perception of management needs to change to allow him to become a top manager.

Currently, Harry believes that a manager should be agreeable with his employees, but this is not helping the employees because if another manager takes over they will not have someone to assist them in their weak areas. Harry should encourage and show employees how to perform the tasks instead of doing them himself. He should understand that the employees should view him as a leader and not a co-worker or friend. Differentiating a leader from a peer is vital for Harry and the employees.

The best solution for Harry is self-awareness. This is because it would offer him an opportunity to view himself as others see him, and he can understand his weaknesses. Self-awareness is like a mirror of oneself that if used properly.