HR Malaysia

Be a Good Recession-Era Manager
by Agatha Gilmore

Amidst today’s seemingly endless stream of gloomy business news – layoffs, budget cuts and the like – managers may have reason to look up.

According to a new survey from Randstad, an international staffing agency, 66 percent of employees would choose to “re-elect” their current bosses, while 65 percent believe their bosses’ personalities are a right fit for their corresponding job roles and responsibilities.

“In spite of all the issues going on around employees, they believe they have leaders that can manage through these tough times,” said Genia Spencer, managing director of human resources and operations for Randstad. “I don’t think there’s a presidential election with that much of a margin.”

So what is it managers are doing right?

“In these times, bosses have learned to adjust their styles to their employees’ needs. It’s not the old-fashioned, hierarchical ‘do as I say’ role,” Spencer said. “Perhaps, as well, given the across-the-board difficult times, employees are cutting their bosses some slack and recognizing they’re dealing with and managing in difficult times, and perhaps they’re doing the best they can.”

When it comes to the ideal management style in this economy, survey results indicate leaders should work on being authentic.

“Employees respect genuineness and collaboration,

” Spencer said. “Be a genuine boss. Be who you are, be yourself, and then understand the needs of your team and your employees to adapt your style to work with them without changing who you are. That’s a flexibility of approach, not a complete change in personal style.”

In fact, managers should avoid trying to adapt their leadership styles to what they think is most desirable because the expectations of employees vary greatly depending on economic conditions and individual maturity, Spencer said.

“Trying to anticipate and become the most popular boss and fitting a most-expected style isn’t going to be a long-term solution,” she said.

Further, the best leaders during these difficult times make sure to include their entire teams in their decision processes, Spencer said.

“We suggest bosses be much more collaborative with their teams. [They should say], ‘This is what I’m thinking; this is what I’m facing. These are the problems we face as a team. How would you solve them?’” she said. “By including people in that, they understand the total picture of what the boss, as well as the team, is facing and then can understand the decisions that are made.”

[About the Author: Agatha Gilmore is a senior editor for Talent Management magazine.]