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Successful leadership requires mutual trust between you - the manager - and your subordinates. But they can only trust you if they see you as an authentic human being. Even managers must come across as human to their subordinates. How can you achieve this and get along with your subordinates on a personal level without compromising your authority?
This article was published on the INSEAD Knowledge website.
First of all, you must be interested in the members of your team on a level not related to work. Be interested in what they do when not at work, their interests, priorities, etc. Always treat your employees as individual people.
The best way to show you are human is to admit to your mistakes. For example, you plan a project but the situation develops differently and it turns out your predictions were incorrect. If you show subordinates your ability to admit a mistake and learn from it, not only will you seem authentic but also show your employees in practice how they can ideally behave if they find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
You might never establish a friendly relationship with someone on an informal level if you always stick to strictly work-related topics. You could start by confessing something personal to a subordinate. But don't overdo it and avoid using subordinates as confessors or therapists.
In order to get on the same wavelength with employees on a personal level, you must learn to detect their mental states. If you see something is bothering an employee and they are not doing well at work, try to discuss the issue in a non-forceful manner with no prejudgements. This will make you appear much more human.
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