Michael* comes to me with some concerns: “Carlo* has been working in my team for several years. He’s always got on very well with his colleagues and produced excellent work.

Maria* has fallen behind schedule on her project and meets with her supervisor Jan* to keep him informed. But the meeting sadly didn’t live up to her expectations.

“The best times are when Bjorn* is absent. Only then do we get a break from having to walk on eggshells all the time.”

Empathy, or ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’ is a key ingredient of the emotional intelligence that characterises a good manager.

“When feedback is specific and timely, and also accompanied by a genuinely positive intention, it may be considered to be a gift”. This was the concluding message of the article in the last Bulletin. But how can negative feedback be perceived as an appreciated and useful gift?

Dealing with feedback is an essential part of any learning process. Taking into account other people’s perceptions of what we do or say can be a very valuable insight into ways in which we can develop and improve our performance.

The perception of unfair treatment in the workplace can often lead to conflict and a sense of demotivation, which ultimately leaves us feeling discouraged and helpless.

Are you able to assign tasks to your staff and then let them get on with them… or do you tend to hover over them to check on their progress?

As a boss, do you unconditionally stand by your line management when they are involved in potential conflicts with their supervisees or do you take a stand and look into the issue yourself?
 

Sometimes bosses seem to wear Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak: always caught in meetings, away on duty travel, overwhelmed with technical duties… the time they have left to spend with their teams can drop down to almost zero. But their people need them…