Most often, bosses are afraid to offer constructive feedback to their staff, especially if it is a negative feedback for fear of backlash. It takes courage and good leadership skills to be able to tell the staff that he/she is having some weakness that undermine the staff’s work performance without angering the staff.
Some employees carries a sort of diva behavior (divas behaviours are not only limited to popular female singers, but applicable to work force, including male employees).
Probably part of the character of the boss to avoid conflicts/confrontations, she would rather put up with a behavior of a diva like staff who can perform but have attitude problems/mood swings.
Bosses who are also good leaders can deal with this staff through overlooking the negative traits and accentuating the positive traits- if the staff shows potential as a performer. Good leaders are often not petty people- they do not have time to multiply and focus on the staff’s shortcomings. They should instead focus on the staff’s strength and develop the staff’s potential.
The best gift a boss can give to her employee is to recognize inherent talents of her subordinates and groom them so that they eventually become performers. To do that, first, the boss would need to polish the staff’s strength so that they shine. Most of the time, the employee, who metaphors from ‘an ugly duckling to a swan’ would be grateful and remember the boss for life.
To do that, the boss not only have made the staff a performer, but given the staff confidence and a new lease of life…. if you can make such a difference someone, this gift will be returned to you many folds in your own life. And anyone will be fortunate to work under you- you must have it in you before you can give this.
Unfortunately, most of the time, a boss or a manager is too worried about his/her position to want to develop the staff.
Fears like ‘what happens if the staff outperform me and I get managed out?’ or a character tendency to always look for flaws in people because there is no courage to look at his/her own flaws.
So they press down their staff and give negative evaluations or appraisal that downplay the staff’s strengths and focus on the weakness- so that a capable staff does not get into the management’s good books.
Such supervisors/bosses/managers are far too many and common. Bosses like this are only mere order takers or shoe polishes or commands executers- they’re not leaders and they would not get far in life. Even if they are able to hold high position, it would be only a matter of time before they are out.
It takes a true and capable leader to be able to groom and develop a staff and stand up for his/her staff if the reason is justified. The reputation of a person like this would spread wide throughout the industry and eventually, such leaders would only rise to greater heights in both the careers and life.
You have to have that inherent strong character and integrity to be capable of this because you must conquer yourself before you can conquer others.
So, you do want to remain mediocre or you want to become someone that makes a difference in the lives of others?
