We used to think that a strong manager was someone who could speak firmly, but we’ve evolved. Now we see that any idiot can raise his voice and sound commanding. That doesn’t make you a leader!
Real leaders are people who don’t bring the hammer down, because the hammer is only given to them by virtue of their title, which was conferred on them by somebody else. The hammer — the power to punish or withhold good things – is the instrument of fear and control.
Strong leaders trust themselves enough to trust the people they’ve hired. They lead by example. They don’t lead through fear, by making their employees afraid to cross them.
Here are five things only weak managers say. If you’ve heard any of these weakling pronouncements coming out of the lips of your manager, that’s a sign!
It’s a sign that you’re wasting your talents working under Mr. or Ms. Fearful. Time to pack up your bag of tricks and take it where it’ll be appreciated!
I Don’t Care How You Do It – Just Get It Done!
This is what weenie weakling managers say when they get stressed out. It’s the ultimate “Screw you!” to a team member, because it says “I won’t help you — I’m busy. Figure it out yourself!”
That’s not leadership. The implied threat in “Just get it done!” is that if you don’t get it done, you’ll get fired or lose brownie points on the job.
You don’t have time to work for anyone who talks to people like this. It sounds like a line from a bad movie. Leave this turkey manager behind you and find a manager with blood running through his or her veins — not zombie juice!
I Don’t Make the Rules – I Just Enforce Them
Let’s break this down logically. You’re the manager, but you don’t make the rules? Okay, then why are you a manager? There are policies that come down from higher up and you’re forced to follow them – really? You don’t have a tongue, teeth and vocal cords to speak up about things that matter?
Every manager’s job is to speak up and tell the truth to higher-ups, whether they want to hear it it or not. If you’re just a rubber stamp on somebody else’s rules and policies, then give back the “manager” title and call yourself something else (“sycophant” or “doormat” spring to mind).
I Don’t Pay You to Think
“I don’t pay you to think” is code for “Don’t tell me your ideas, because I get easily threatened, and when someone says something smart that I didn’t think of on my own, I feel bad about myself.”
We can feel sympathy for a manager who’s mired in fear, but get out from under him or her first – then you can feel sympathy from a safe distance!
That’s Your Personal Problem, Not Mine
What is leadership? It means that people want to follow you. They trust your judgment and guidance.
When you tell people outright “I couldn’t care less about your personal priorities” you’ve told them all they need to know about your relationship. They are nothing to you — so why should they lift a finger to help you reach your goals?
If You Don’t Want the Job, I’ll Find Someone Who Does
This is the sound of fear in action! Fear is entangled in this obnoxious threat in two ways.
For starters, the weakling manager who threatens your job this way is trying to make you afraid with his or her puny power to punish you. Don’t be afraid of anyone pathetic enough to invoke this tired threat. They have no personal juice.
You might decide to clamp your lips together and walk away from a manager who threatens you, but no one would blame you if you said “Really? You’ll find someone else for my job? That’s odd — if I’m not the right person for the job, why am I still here?”
The second way fear shows up in this time-honored weak-manager threat is that the manager who says these words is showing you that he or she is afraid. What are they afraid of? They’re afraid to be real — to show their human side.
The only time weenie managers throw out this threat is when an employee has expressed frustration or dissatisfaction with the way the department is run.
The manager’s angry threat is his or her way of saying “I’m doing the best I can, okay? I’m not sure how to do my job.” They can’t be that honest — they are afraid to show any vulnerability — so they lash out with a threat instead.
Life is long, but it’s still too short to waste another year in a job that doesn’t grow your flame. Maybe this is the moment for you to plan your next adventure!
