Management and leadership

Management involves handling administrative tasks, while leadership involves getting people to work toward a common goal or vision. Managers

need both abilities.

A manager who is overconfident, refuses to admit mistakes, doesn’t communicate and isn’t approachable won’t be an effective leader. A leader who inspires others but fails to coordinate workloads or

enforce rules won’t be an effective manager.

Both qualities involve building relationships. To start down the path of building (or improving) the relationship between managers and employees:

• Admit mistakes. Managers will make mistakes and should learn from them rather than defending them. Admitting mistakes will also help build

trust.

• Communicate openly and honestly. Managers can’t be totally transparent because they can’t share confidential information, but they can be honest about what they share. Dishonesty will quickly damage trust.

• Reach out to team members. The survey also found that more than half (57 percent) of managers

wish their team members were more willing to share their concerns. If managers rarely approach their employees, they should not expect employees to approach them. Managers should ask what motivates employees, listen attentively, and regularly provide feedback.

Becoming an approachable leader isn’t about making friends, it’s about

listening, showing genuine interest, and demonstrating understanding. In other words, it’s about building a relationship with employees. Ed Zalewski is a certified Professional in Human Resources and an editor at J. J. Keller & Associates, a nationally recognized compliance resource firm. Zalewski specializes in employment law topics such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, employee benefits, and discrimination and harassment. He is the author of J. J. Keller’s FLSA Essentials guidance manual and BottomLine Benefits & Compensation newsletter. For more information, visit www. jjkeller.com/hr and www. jjkellerlibrary.com.