I saw a metaphor the other day about human behaviour that I thought was quite clever.
“The water that softens the potato also hardens the egg.”
Basically, as a metaphor the water represents the work environment, culture and the management style that creates it. The manager’s leadership style and or influence, while the staff members represent the egg and potato, symbolizing how they respond to that leadership. The way the manager interacts with the staff can either harden them, making them resilient and strong like an egg, or soften them, perhaps making them more adaptable and flexible like a potato. The important thing is to find a balance between both, you can’t harden or soften them too much.
The same applies to the manger that creates the work environment, (the water) they need to balance their style between tough love and empathetic nurturing.
For example, a manager who provides clear guidance and support might “harden” their staff by fostering resilience and confidence. Conversely, a manager who micromanages or lacks empathy might “soften” their staff, leading to decreased morale or productivity.
Let’s explore two distinct types of managers.
Manager A (The Hardener): Manager A is a no-nonsense type of leader. They believe in tough love and setting high expectations for their team. They see challenges as opportunities for growth and often push their staff to their limits to achieve results.
Manager B (The Softener): Manager B is empathetic and nurturing. They prioritize the well-being of their team members above all else and strive to create a supportive work environment. However, they sometimes struggle with making tough decisions or holding their team members accountable.
The key here is to balance the above styles.
For instance, Manager A’s high expectations and push for excellence sometimes lead to stress and burnout among team members. While on the other hand, Manager B’s supportive and empathetic approach fosters a positive work environment where team members feel valued and motivated to succeed.
Real world implications of different management styles, can serve as a thought-provoking exploration of leadership dynamics in the workplace.
The key is to balance these out. The keys to both are a combination of:
- Directive Leadership: Provide clear instructions and expect strict adherence to their directives. Make decisions quickly and expect their team members to follow suit.
- Mange Expectations: Sets achievable expectations for their team members and holds them accountable for meeting goals and targets. They believe in moving their team members out of their comfort zones to achieve success.
- Supportive Leadership: Embraces a supportive leadership style, where they prioritize the well-being and development of their team members. They foster a positive work environment by offering encouragement, guidance, and emotional support.
- Empathetic Communication: Demonstrates empathy and active listening skills when interacting with their team members. They take the time to understand individual perspectives and address concerns with compassion.
- Collaborative Decision-Making: Values collaboration and seeks input from their team members when making decisions. They empower their team members to contribute ideas and take ownership of their work, fostering a sense of ownership and pride.By highlighting these behavioural styles, I have illustrated a couple of management approaches to balance between softening and hardening in the workplace.
The other areas that managers need to focus behaviourally between hardening and softening are how they:
- Handle a mistake.
- Mange Team Conflict
- Mange Employee Development
- Communicate
- Make Decisions
- Mange Conflict Resolution and
- Feedback and Recognition:
By examining these specific aspects of managers behavioural styles, we can gain deeper insights into how Managers approach leadership and interact with their teams. Their behaviours shape the culture and dynamics within their respective teams, ultimately influencing overall performance and employee satisfaction. At Insightful coaching solutions we us an MBTI and VAK profiling tool to help managers and their teams understand the different behavioural styles and help teams work better together by gaining a deeper understanding of their colleagues.
So as a manager do you know how to soften the potato or harden the egg??