Don’t ask if you don’t
want opinions of your
employees

The theme behind both descriptions is that managers often ask for worker opinions but actually don't want to hear anything but their own voices.

Chris Atkins of Merrill Lynch in Honolulu remembers a boss he had at an organization where he once worked. This manager would stroll up to a worker's desk, knock his knuckles on the cubicle wall, and would ask, "How are you doing?" At this point, it did not make any difference what the worker said. The manager would go directly into his predetermined topic of conversation. He would very slowly draw out a single point that he wanted to get across, taking 20 minutes to do so. A more efficient person would cover the same material in five minutes.

Chris continued, "There were never conversations because it was a one-way flow of information. No matter what you said during the conversation, he would just plow ahead with his point. He seemed to have little regard for people's feedback or expertise, and he was unable to show respect for people's time."

The employees would share ideas among themselves concerning how best to deal with these unhelpful meetings. They decided that the most efficient action would be to say nothing and to hope that the meetings would end as soon as possible.

Another reader described the behavior of his boss at departmental meetings. The boss would ask employees to prepare reports on various company activities. After he opened the meeting and gave his own reports, he would sit back and engage in activities other than listening carefully to the employees. For instance, he would cut his fingernails when others were presenting their carefully prepared reports.

I have tremendous empathy for these people, since I once had the misfortune of working for a boss who likewise showed little interest in the contributions of employees. She would call meetings and present her own ideas. Then, she would spend the rest of the allotted meeting time trying to force a jolly and cheerful mood. Employees who had serious issues to raise had to endure this false gaiety. If they were successful in their attempts to cover serious issues, they came across as Ebenezer Scrooge-like characters who couldn't enjoy a convivial meeting.

This person later ran for public office and was criticized by the media for her poor performance in handling the rough and tumble that is an inevitable part of political campaigning.

I believe that if she had been responsive to her employees in her earlier job, she would have benefited from practice in showing respect to others, handling difficult questions, and remaining calm when challenged.

IF MANAGERS want to be known as both effective and cooperative in the workplace, they must be careful to listen carefully when employees have concerns. They must tell employees which concerns they will be able to address and then follow through on their commitments.

Further, they should heed the advice that is central to today's stories concerning workplace social skills: "If you don't want to hear employee suggestions, don't go through the facade of asking for them."