Managing people requires a variety of skills and leadership characteristics. Some of these skills may come easy to you and others may take time for you to develop. One skill you may have trouble with is being understanding. Being understanding means being tolerant, forgiving, and willing to listen. This is a helpful trait for managers to have because it allows you to connect with employees and team members in meaningful ways. Here are some tips on how to be a more understanding manager:
Offer Help
A lot of the time, employees feel like they can’t address problems with their manager or ask for help. Because of this, managers may think everything is running fine when, in reality, there are lots of problems and uncertainty that needs to be fixed. Make sure to openly invite your employees to reach out to you for help. Let them know you are happy to help with anything they need. This will help your employees trust you with their problems and help you to better understand what your employees need.
Treat People with Respect
Treating people with respect means being considerate of their thoughts, feelings, fears, and workload. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of your employees’ jobs as much as you can to better understand what your employees are doing every day. Respect your employees time by not overloading their workload or wasting their time on pointless meetings or long-winded emails. All in all, you should treat your employees how you want to be treated. This will make you more aware of your employees’ situations and will also help your employees respect you more.
Control Your Emotions
Too often people get caught up in their emotions and do or say things they later wish they hadn’t. If you feel angry or upset at an employee, make sure to set back and think before saying or doing anything you’d regret. Give yourself time to think about why an employee upset you and possible reasoning for why they would do what they did. This will give you a more understanding perspective in heated moments.
Use this advice to help you become the understanding manager your team needs.