The view from above is often different than from below
When you’re managing people, how you see them as employees below you is surprisingly different than the view their underlings have of them.
You often have this wonderful view of your personnel. They are smart, cheerful, energetic and easy to work with. But that’s just how they relate to you. We seem to assume that how we related to one person is usually how others related to them as well. But power structures definitely change that, and this is aside from them just sucking up to you and doing a 180 when you leave the room.
I recently realized that someone I used to delegate to who I really enjoyed working with was often viewed by others as hard-nosed and cold. When I worked with her a few years back, I always thought she was a touch quiet, but always stepped up to the plated when needed. She got along well with the other team members, which was not a surprise since we had an extrodinarily cohesive team.
But it did surprise me that she manages people underneath her in a very different way than she manages herself and her peers. It’s not always a bad thing, but it’s something to be cognizant of, especially if you have personnel problems.
It’s always good to get away from your desk, talk to people you don’t seen routinely and get a different perspective. The trick is, as the boss or the boss’s boss, getting them to be candid. And that’s a tough, but I’d say vital, managerial skill.
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