Insync Articles

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A good boss always gives critical feedback.

Complain but do not make it a habit
Understand emotions to build better team spirit.
Working on feedback helps check underperformance.
Manager must know team mindset to effectively sort problems.
Pinpoint problems to drive feedback in right direction.
A daily schedule to save you from stress.
Watch your step when new boss comes in

9.

1.A good boss always gives critical feedback

Each one of us would like to work for a boss who is good-natured, cooperative and uses just
the right amount of push to get the job done.
We hate bosses who manage with intimidation and fear.
A boss ready to blame others for mistakes, unwilling to hear bad news and easily irritated
with the small details is definitely not the ideal boss.
But there are no clear black and white demarcations when assessing your manager because
most of them fall in the grey category.
So it is through observations, assessing your boss through certain parameters and watching
his speech and behaviour that will help you to understand the kind of manager you work for.
You can assess your boss based on his reaction to certain situations. For instance, if you
have finished a certain section of a project and want your boss to run through it, you can
gauge his attitude by his reaction.
A good boss will sit with you and review the work you have done so far and give you critical
feedback and clarify if there are any deviations from the project goals.
On the other hand a poor boss will brush off your request and wait till the last minute to
review your work and if there are any mistakes he will ask you to sit late and make the
necessary changes just before the deadline.
Another way to assess your boss is to observe his reaction when you present potential
problems in a project or assignment to him, which he may have to answer his bosses for in
the future.
Good bosses will appreciate your foresight even if the problem did not occur or was slightly
different. Such a boss will acknowledge that you care about the work of the team and also
forewarned him of potential issues with his bosses.

A bad boss, on the other hand will ignore your warnings, term you as difficult and with a
negative attitude, and even give you the cold shoulder but when a problem occurs he can
readily shift the blame on to you.
Good managers also like to hear about problems and answers to them from their
subordinates. They appreciate it if you can give a comparative analysis of the different
solutions.
Such bosses prefer to arrive at solutions after brainstorming rather than take individual
decisions and also the sole credit for them. A bad boss, on the other hand when offered
solutions could accuse you of giving him no room to think. Consequently his team will think
twice before presenting ideas or solutions to him.
A good boss is more than somebody whose personality matches with yours. He is honest in
his interactions, communicates his expectations from the team and appreciates and
recognises their efforts. He also gives regular feedback to help his team improve.
He appreciates the inputs he receives from his team while at the same time helps them with
problems. He stands up for his team especially when interacting with senior management.
He keeps his cool and is friendly and approachable and shares every credit with his team.
A good boss is inclusive in his attitude, does not discriminate among team members and
endeavours to maintain harmony in his team.
He tries to make work fun by bringing in new and exciting ideas
These are some of the parameters to help you judge how good your boss is. You can use your
performance review meeting to discuss his qualities that help you do well in your work and
also his drawbacks, which limits your growth.
If your boss is good, he will react positively to such constructive criticism and change his
management style to help his employees.
A good boss is someone who provides adequate support and at the same time challenges you
to develop new talents.
Consider yourself lucky if you work for such a boss and use the opportunity to learn from
him.

2.Complain but do not make it a habit

At the workplace there will be many reasons for any employee to complain. One day it may
be the coffee machine and on the other your parking slot taken by somebody else is
annoying you.
Venting legitimate grievance is everybody's right. There will be an appropriate channel
through which you can put forth your problem and there will be a designated official to
address it. The problems are commonplace and are redressed quite easily and quickly.

But there are habitual whiners, who think it is their sole prerogative to complain about every
issue and happening in the office. They can point fingers at anything and everybody. These
people spend nearly a third of the day at the office in just nit picking. For them any problem
is serious and needs to be escalated to the top levels. This tendency on the part of the
employee is a habit, more so a compulsive disorder. They cannot stay away from poking
their noses in to affairs that do not concern them.
Such people are shunned by all at the office. They seldom have friends. Managers treat them
as problem creators'.
Here is some advice to constant complainers:
Stay away: One needs to know when to complain and what to complain about. Just
because there is a problem with the fax machine, you need not go to the manager to get the
machine working again. There will be a helpdesk or admin department that will take care of
the problem. Know the size of the problem and its impact on the office working before you
complain to the top boss. You will only be taking up the boss's time and wasting yours if you
meet him just for the sake of the fax machine.
No target: Never target particular people for complaints. They may have their own reasons
for not achieving results. Only if their non-performance affects your work or out put, you
should think of complaining against them. First talk to the person who is hindering your
work See if he has a valid reason and try to give a chance to correct himself. If he continues
to be a problem then you must inform your superiors. Getting along with coworkers when
they are having difficulties will project you as being cooperative.
Avoid this: Talking about salary, comparing with others and complaining about the
management's bias or partiality will make you stand out like a clown in a crowd. You can
become the instant target of the management for being shown the door for creating a toxic
atmosphere. If you have a valid reason to believe that you are being wronged, talk to the
manager. Explain to him how you are performing and the compensation you get in return.
Never make the issue public.
Do not bad mouth your team members with others, even if they have committed mistakes.
Never project them in bad light.
Show solutions: There is no easier task than complaining. But complaining only shows
that you only care about you comfort. When there is problem that concerns all at the
workplace, be bold enough to come up with solutions. Give suggestions; try to help in
diminishing the problem. May be your solutions will not work, but your attitude towards
solving the workplace problems will earn you lot of respect.
Minding your business' must be your concern at the workplace. Impress your team and
boss as a good team player. Become a troubleshooter for your team when it hits a wall' in a
project. Be the voice of the team at meetings when it needs resources or has problems with
deadlines. The manager will take these as genuine complaints.
On the other hand if you are only complaining on trivial non-issues, you will be seen as
someone who projects negativity. So do not make it a habit.

3.Understand emotions to build better team spirit

Emotions are so much a part of human life that they cannot be disregarded in the
professional world. The ability to understand others' feelings, is necessary to build good

workplace relationships. It helps one to become a better communicator. It improves the

ability to influence others.
Understanding emotions is an important constituent of emotional intelligence. Managers,
mentors and counsellors should possess this skill because their jobs have a lot to do with
influencing people. The success of all day-to-day activities like meetings, negotiations,
conflict resolutions and performance management is based on the ability of the participants
to understand others' emotions. It helps in avoiding misunderstandings, frustration and to
some extent stress.
Each one of us displays emotions in a unique way. Learning to read another person's
emotions from the cues he throws requires patience, but is worth it. Conclusions about
responses of a person in different emotional states can be drawn only after careful
observation and analysis of his behaviour. And when we commit a mistake in our analysis
and act guided by those conclusions, we may end up damaging our relationship with the
person and leaving a deep scar on his mind. Here are some ways to comprehend others'
emotions:
Self-study: Observe yourself to understand how your different emotions are displayed in
different situations. By recognising how your emotions affect you, you can understand
others' emotions.
Enquire: The best way to know how a person is feeling is to ask him. When you do this,
you are exhibiting your concern for him. It will make him feel good and he will be glad to
share his feelings. This way you not only get what you want but also develop a better
relationship with the person.
Empathise: Empathy gives the ability to understand and evaluate. So by imagining
yourself in the situation the other person is in, you will be in a better position to understand
his feelings.
Analyse: There might be cases when it is not appropriate or intelligent to ask. Sometimes,
the person might not be willing to share with you. Or he might take advantage of the
opportunity to mislead you.
At times, the other person could be unaware of his true feelings. So, whether to ask or not
and how much to believe are up to your discretion. Again practise improves your judgement.
And when you are unsure, take into account, non-verbal cues.
Frown, wide-open mouth, blank eyes, physical distance maintained from a person or
contracted eyes have all messages about emotional state of the person.
Non-verbal signs tell a lot about a person's feelings and usually more precisely. The changes
in facial expression convey how a person is feeling about the external influences and what
kind of responses could be building up in his mind. Apart from this, gestures and body
movements also provide insight to the mind of the person. For example, biting lips and
shaking legs is a sign of nervousness. Crossed hands and legs are sign of disagreement.
Relaxed face muscles are sign of contentment.
Speech is another important source to understand emotions. Tone, speed and quality of
speech, pitch and amplitude convey ulterior and unarticulated messages about the
emotional state of a person. Fast speech is a sign of excitement or nervousness. Talking
slowly, at audible level suggests pondering on the issue.
Understanding emotions is necessary to anticipate and control the outcomes of events.

For managers who aim to inspire and motivate others, this ability helps to deal with people
with different attitude and approach. It is useful to avoid conflicts, build team spirit and
mediate between disagreeing parties. It helps to cultivate a better way of thinking.

4. Working on feedback helps check underperformance

Teams consist of individual members. Each member brings his/her own level of expertise,
skill sets and working mode in to the team. While some members are quick learners and go
on to become star performers, some of them can be lagging behind in performance.
Underperformance can be an issue both to the team and the individual. The team suffers
because the others will have to cover up for the slow types. The individual member goes
through humiliation, as he is not able to match the performance levels of others.
The issue of underperformance of team members must be addressed both by the team lead
and also the individual. Team leaders must be willing to share knowledge.
The team leader must be able to point out the exact cause for an individual's problems in
performance. He must be able to guide the member through appropriate feedback at the
right time. It must not be delayed nor should there be any hesitation in conveying the exact
lapse on the part of the team member.
Delay will actually cause more harm than good. The individual will not be able to correlate
his lapse or mistake. The discussion must be genuine and not a fault-finding session. The
team leader must explain clearly the way in which a task should have been done or the time
when the task should have been completed. And also analyse the reasons for the mistake.
This will give the team member a chance to better his performance.
On the individual's part, he must make it a point to go through the feedback and rectify his
mistakes. Feedback must be taken in the right spirit. It should be seen as a positive
approach to enhancing one's performance. Without feedback most team members will not
be able to improve themselves and notch up a better performance record. And performance
alone is the key for any hike one gets in the salary or wins awards.
Under performing continuously will be a personal embarrassment to the team member and
his morale will be low.
Individuals need to do self-analysis if their performance is below par. What is hindering
their progress has to be found out. And with dedication they will have to overcome their
problem on time.
Ask for help: When a team member has a problem in performing his role, he must seek
help from seniors. Struggling with a problem and not asking for help at the appropriate time
will only hinder progress. Not all aspects of work can be learnt in college or training
sessions. Where one feels that his knowledge is not adequate to complete the assigned tasks,
help must be sought. People are willing to help when the request comes in a polite manner.
So maintaining good relations with team members is essential.
Make efforts: Make efforts to better your skills. There may not be help always
forthcoming due to various reasons. You will be better off if you polish your skills in the area
that you are weak. May be you need to learn a new programming language or know to work
with Excel in a better manner. For this either you will have to request your peers to teach
you, search the Internet for tips or join a class.

Self-effort is the best way to surmount your learning problems.

Check time: Even top leaders take coaching to manage their time. This is a resource that
most of us are not able juggle efficiently. Check if you are wasting time on trivial tasks.
Keep tab of time spent on each task so as not to over shoot your schedule.
Working on the feed back and making efforts to improve your skill sets will quickly put you
back on track to become a star performer.

5.Manager must know team mindset to effectively sort problems

The basic job of a manager is to manage the people under him. He has to extract the best
from his employees, help them learn and grow, cheer them up and improve their work
spirit, foster good interpersonal relationships among the team members, manage crisis by
influencing them and even support them with handling their personal problems so that
their productivity is maintained. So, the way he interacts with his subordinates is an
important factor that affects the performance of the team and in turn, his professional
growth.
Employees at the lower levels of organisational hierarchy are the ones directly responsible
for the output. When an employee is in a disturbed state, it will reflect not only on the
individual's productivity but also on his team's productivity. So, any issue troubling a team
member or the team should be dealt with as soon as it is identified so that the business of
the organisation is not affected. However, this is not as simple as it sounds, considering the
variety in the team.
Teams consist of people with different attitudes, opinions, priorities, expectations and
concerns. Each of them poses a different kind of problem to the manager. Among them,
under-performing employees are the most annoying and demanding challenge for him.
Employees, who think they know all, always complain, promise but do not deliver.
Another type of difficult employee is one who distracts others. He misguides others, engages
in gossip or bullies them. An under-performing employee can be given chances to improve
his performance. But an employee pulling down other's performance should not be excused.
He should be dealt with strictly and immediately.
To manage the team effectively, a manager has to understand his team members' mindsets.
He has to observe how the different situations are affecting the performance and behaviour
of each team member. He has to learn how each of them responds to and handles
challenges. Apart from this, he should follow some basic rules to limit troublesome issues in
the team. They include:
Meet the team members periodically through formal and informal meetings
Know from the employees how they feel about their work profile, benefits, superiors and
other related issues
Make sure the employees are kept updated about where their projects and the organisation
are heading
In case of time constraint, meet at least the team leader and a few selected employees
regularly

Try to anticipate potential problems in the team based on what is happening around and
devise ways to tackle them
Ensure that the solutions are realistic
In the way of managing a team, there are some issues that a manager should not address,
especially the one like a small conflict among the team members. Such cases, if taken up by
him can actually worsen the situation. So, he should leave them to time and wait. The team
members will solve the issues themselves. This way the team bonding will also increase.
However the manager should make sure that the situation is not getting worse and be ready
to intervene when necessary.
Then, there are some problems that need not be addressed by the manager directly. A team
leader, a suitable team member, a coach or some other third party can be assigned to handle
it.
Whether a manager handles the problems in his team directly or indirectly or even
addresses them at all, each of the problem should be given due consideration to assess its
potential.
A manager cannot deal with every employee and every problem directly. But he should at
least keep himself informed about everything happening around him, be it about the status
of the project or the issues bothering the employees. He should be smart enough to be able
to judge where his intervention is required and to handle the issue appropriately.

6.Pinpoint problems to drive feedback in right direction

A managerial role that confers authority over someone is a great responsibility. When you
allow your reactions to take the form of criticism, you end up leaving scars that cannot be
healed. Delivery of criticism demands highly tuned communication skills. So the next time
you want to tell something to your employees, gauge the effect of your words.
A common reason why managers adopt destructive criticism is the pressure to perform. In
the attempt to extract more and attain result they morph into bullies. They aim the least to
be destructive but neither do they realise that their words and action are hurting others.
They yell their disappointment out and attract overtly or covertly the same kind of response;
the employees shout back or become silent. Whichever the case, the expectations of the
manager are not met because in this way, the employees do not receive the support or
motivation they require!
Some managers try to motivate employees through belittling comments and intimidation.
They think that by criticising them in front of colleagues and subordinates, they can push
them to strive harder. But this approach results in rippling negative effects.
The employee feels embarrassed to face others and ceases to interact. He will hesitate to
share his opinions and inputs during meetings. His enthusiasm in work diminishes, which
reflects in his increased rate of absence.
Destructive criticism destroys the self-confidence of the person receiving it. It closes the
channels of communication. In the first place it does not send the message across in the
right spirit. After all pointing out errors does not mean fixing them! So there is no point in
expecting a change in the behaviour in the other person. In fact it attracts opposite results.
It is an obstacle to personal growth and healthy interpersonal relationships. Most of all, by

criticising others, you lose respect and end up showing up that you are immature and
unprofessional.
To extract positive results, you have to communicate criticism in a way that the other person
can use the information to his advantage and benefit. For this you have to communicate you
message keeping in mind some point.
The following is some guidance:
Ensure that the timing is right. Ascertain that the receiver is emotionally fit to take the
criticism with the force you intend to give it to him. Also, keep in mind the principle- Praise
in public, criticise in private.
Do not hammer your subjects with the same message, delivered in same words, tone and
spirit. How many times have you heard yourself saying, how many times will you say that?
when your boss repeats his favourite slogan!
Ask yourself if your subject really has all the control to give you're the results. When the
receiver is not adequately skilled or has no access to the necessary resources, how can he
meet your expectations? Your feedback and motivational words can provide confidence and
cause the person to act. But if this lacks the core requirements to generate the output, both
of you will only end up wasting time and efforts.
Drive your feedback in the right direction. Pinpoint the problematic issues. Do not make
generalised statements about people based on a few observations. Verify if your message is
clear enough to be acted upon. Keep the advice practical. Tell others that they are wrong
without mentioning what exactly is the problem and how it could be corrected is frustrating.
When you criticise someone, be willing to entertain further discussion on it and to provide
the support. In case of feedback to team members, be willing to follow up their progress and
help them overcome the obstacles. Also be open to the possibility that your perception or
opinion is wrong and that the other person is actually right.
Recognise and reward the changes in behaviour the other person has adopted in response to
your feedback.
Criticism is a great tool to modify the behaviour of a person. But based on how it is used, it
yields constructive or destructive results.
To obtain positive results, you have to focus on objective, tune your communication and
deliver it diligently, paying attention to the responses.

7.A daily schedule to save you from stress

New projects, heavy schedules and tighter deadlines are telling on the health of the
workforce across the country and the globe. People are becoming prone to several diseases
and are succumbing to physical difficulties between the ages of 40-50 years.
Hyper tension, anxiety and depression cases are being reported in high numbers.
One major cause of these health related problems is stress. And in the Indian contest,
healthcare pundits say that the workforce here does not pay attention to techniques to avoid
stress. Consequently they fall prey to the problems associated with it. And again though they
suffer from stress they reluctantly seek medical help.

Research has shown that the present day stressors for employees are - Having to work
longer hours, having constant appraisals, reviews and more sedentary jobs. Urban living
style though on the face of it does not seem to cause stress, eventually brings it in.
One social scientist says, Work related stress is causing unforeseen consequences such as
infertility among young urban working couples. Urban lifestyles are causing people to
exhaust themselves of all energy. The commute, the driving in traffic and spending time on
extended day activities such as shopping and hours at malls or multiplexes, week after week
causes stress.
These activities in fact demand more of mental and physical energy. The young employees
in their early career days deem these activities to be stress relievers. But soon these very
activities become cause of stress. This results in not being able to stand up to the daily tough
routine at the office. Stress slowly impacts the working of the person and this leads to
several health problems.
Doctors advise that a simple routine should be followed from early career days to avoid
problems as one moves ahead in life.
Stress levels can be controlled by relaxation techniques that bring out the body's relaxation
response. Practicing these techniques will build physical and emotional resilience. Stress
calls for taking charge- taking charge of one's thoughts, emotions and time.
Here are some techniques the doctors say will help:
Relaxation time: Have a set time for rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. This is
your time and let not anyone steal it from you. Never plan other activities during this period.
Do what gives you a sense of joy and happiness. Indulge in it. This will recharge your spirits.
You will become a well-oiled engine each day to meet the rough road ahead.
Let go: Do not treat all problems like earthquake. Give little attention to small problems.
Do not magnify issues and spend time in pondering over them continuously. See if you can
put them off for later. Try to get advice, ask people what they would do in your situation.
Nice company: Spend time with people who are jovial and have positive and problem
solving attitude, rather than people who are always carrying problems on their shoulders.
Give time for family get together and outing on a regular basis.
In a recent survey people felt that the best stress buster was listening to music, second came
regular exercise and the third was reading. Choose what is best for you and use it to help
ease stress.
Humour is a great stress reliever, especially y when one is experiencing emotional stress.
Read jokes or pick up a funny storybook. One executive says reading comics and watching
cartoon channels is his favourite to recharge himself.
Use any of these techniques and ways suggested to keep yourself stress free. People respond
to life situations in a better manner and perform better at work even under pressure when
they know that they can fight out their stress levels.

8.Watch your step when new boss comes in

Organisations go through different business cycles. And to sustain themselves in the
changing times, they look to new leaders. Managements take in to consideration the
business acumen and financial knowledge of the new leader before selection. His ability to

understand market dynamics and move the business forward will be the main plus points in
his favour.
Once it is established that he is the right man for the organisation, he comes on board. That
is the time when employees, executives and managers have to gear up to meet the
expectations of the new boss in the office.
Even the new boss does his homework well. He has a fairly good picture of the
organisation's financial muscle, the talent pool it has and the direction in which the business
has to move. Armed with this information he will make plans to set in motion the change he
desires to achieve his objectives.
Change comes: The new chief will embark on a process of change in tune with his
business mind. He may change the process or shuffle people in to new positions to
implement his ideas. This change will impact on the organisation and people. This change
has to be viewed in a positive manner by managers and other staff. They must prepare to
understand the necessity of change and what better results can be achieved by adapting to
it.
Having a clear mindset to follow the leader's direction is what is needed in such
circumstances.
Style: Each CEO brings in his own style of working. Some are in a hurry to achieve results.
Some take time to know the organisation's culture and implement their ideas and methods.
When the new boss arrives he will address the staff or send out emails with the proposals he
has in mind. That should give inkling as how fast he wants to implement change.
Be ready: Once the agenda has been planned for the new way of functioning. Get all your
information ready. Get all data necessary that is relevant to your department. Do not fumble
or try to hide figures even if they are not up to the mark when you meet the new boss.
Explain to him the actual situation. If there are bottlenecks tell them frankly to him.
If you hide facts, he may not be able to take a correct decision. Sooner or later the facts will
be ascertained and you may have to take the blame for misinformation. This will project you
as somebody who cannot be trusted. In the first meeting impress him with your grip over
your work. If he asks for suggestions, give those that are practical.
Realign: Once you understand the boss concerns and goals, be prepared to realign your
goals to his. Your objective must be able to make his job easy. He has to show his
competence to the management. Once you get an opportunity to talk to him ask how you
can best provide him support. Present the goals, objectives and work process you have been
working under and if that is sufficient or it needs to be modified. If he assigns new tasks
apart from the ones you already have, be prepared to stretch. Not everybody gets a chance to
impress the new boss.
Each new boss brings in a great deal of experience. Some of them are innovators,
taskmasters and have great knowledge of the particular industry segment. Working with
such a boss can be a rare opportunity.
If he is impressed by your dedication and sincerity he may even mentor you. You have to
learn to understand the new boss, live up to his expectations and show caliber in
performance to move up the ladder yourself.