Managing without emotion

One of the toughest concepts to grasp and practice on a daily basis is managing with no emotion. Most people are emotional by nature, and when you spend the majority of your time at your workplace, this can be a tough task. It’s easy to let your emotions control your actions.

When you are faced with an associate that is “out to get you,” naturally anger and resentment take over. The feelings that you may have regarding this situation may be akin to “I’ll show them who’s boss.” But letting your anger get the best of you is a poor choice in this kind of situation. The best approach is to continue your business as usual and don’t let them see you sweat.

Some people take pleasure in making others mad or upset. Some just enjoy creating drama in their workplace. When you give in to this and give them what they want, you have failed in your job as a manager.

Another tough situation may occur when you have a top notch associate who suddenly develops a problem with coming to work, or a sudden drop in job performance. This can happen for a couple of reasons:

-Negative associates degrade their positive attitude. This is common in the workplace, especially when you are one of the few skilled workers in a sea of underachievers. Listening to other’s opinions about how you are working too hard, or doing too much, is an easy trap to fall into. You have to keep your top associates motivated and positive.

-The associate has problems in their personal life. Here is where you definitely don’t want to ignore them. Sit them down, one on one, and ask questions. The associate may not be willing to talk too much about a personal matter, but then again maybe they are waiting for someone to reach out and help them. When people have problems they tend to wait and hope that anyone will notice, since they are feeling vulnerable. You must keep emotions out of your conversation, but do show concern and a willingness to help them in any way you can while upholding the policies of your company.

Managing without emotion is not by any means easy, and it will take a lot of practice. Maybe you truly feel sorry for someone. But you have to step back and think about what the repercussions will be. If you bend the rules for one person, you have set a standard to go by. Other associates will know this and take advantage of it. Every decision you make is going to be analyzed and scrutinized. Make sure you make the right ones.

The best way to deal with these situations is to listen to the employee. Make note of their body language. If you mingle around the workplace daily, taking time to leave the office, and initiate conversation with your associates, you can usually avoid these problems occurring in the first place. It’s pretty easy to spot when someone is down.

It takes a strong sense of discipline to practice these techniques. It can be especially hard if you have been managing the same associates for a long period of time. It’s only human nature to care for them on a level beyond an employer/employee relationship. But a strong leader , who manages without emotion, is what your associates want and what will get you moving up the ladder.