Hierarchy Golden Rule

Work Place Management       

           

In Management, the hierarchy is playing an important role.

Hierarchy is the system of executives or officials arranged one above another according to status or authority.

What should be the best approach by a lower level executive to higher level?

One should not move too close for getting undue advantages. If displeased, it will lead to undesirable results.

At the same time moving away (distancing) is also not advisable because, that will end up in being branded as "inefficient or incapable".

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar beautifully explains it with an example.

அகலாது அணுகாது தீக்காய்வார் போல்க
இகல்வேந்தர்ச் சேர்ந்து ஒழுகுவார் (691)

दूर न पास न रह यथा, तापों उसी प्रकार ।
भाव-बदलते भूप से, करना है व्यवहार ॥ (६९१)

Explanation by Scholars:

“Those who works under higher authority should neither move too close nor too far. They should remain like people who sit in an apt place besides fire for warmth during winter.”

அகலாது = not moving away

அணுகாது = not moving too close.

தீக்காய்வார் = those who remain for warmth before fire.

வேந்தர் = Monarch/CEO

சேர்ந்து ஒழுகுவார் = Serving under them

Delegation of Authority

Work Place Management                  

Delegation of Authority means division of authority and powers downwards to the subordinate.  Delegation is about entrusting someone else to do parts of your job. Delegation of authority can be defined as subdivision and sub-allocation of powers to the subordinates in order to achieve effective results.

The process of delegation of authority begins with the duties assigned to the subordinate after analyzing his potential and ends when the subordinate is obliged to carry out the operations as intended.

Proper assessment is necessary before  assigning the roles & responsibilities in the organogram.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

இதனை  இதனால் இவன்முடிக்கும் என்றாய்ந்து
அதனை அவன்கண் விடல். (517)

इस साधन से व्यक्ति यह, कर सकता यह कार्य ।
परिशीलन कर इस तरह, सौंप उसे वह कार्य ॥ (५१७)

Explanation by Scholars:

After having considered, "this man can accomplish this, by these means", leave with him the discharge of that duty.

இதனை இதனால் = this, by these means

இவன்முடிக்கும் = this man can accomplish 

என்றாய்ந்து =  After analyzing carefully

அதனை அவன்கண் விடல் =  delegate him to discharge that duty.

The Best Boss

Work Place Management                                  

"The best boss I ever had" and that is a phrase most of us have said or heard at some point. Unforgettable bosses change us for the better. They see more in us than we see in ourselves, and they help us learn to see it too.

They dream big and show us all the great things we can accomplish. Great bosses know and value the unique abilities and even the eccentricities of their subordinates, and they learn how best to integrate them into a coordinated plan of attack.

The best boss reassures his subordinates in the form of encouragement and stimulation to do even better. They both go hand-in-hand and the results from employees can be impressive. Once the employee is reassured that he is on the right track, then he can achieve anything.A great boss will soon become familiar with people’s talents and skills. He will dedicate one-on-one time to finding out about what his subordinate enjoys most at work, his ambitions, and where he is heading.

A bad boss will do everything to shift the blame on to an unfortunate team leader or member, when the faulty decision was definitely his.A bad boss may shut himself off and refuse to involve staff as he thinks he can solve the problems.

The good boss will admit mistakes and openly walk staff through the analysis of failure and the lessons to be learned. He is a great model for employees to follow and this will discourage them from playing the blame game.

We have all had difficult and bad tempered bosses, behaving as autocratic.

The good boss’s perceptions of what people are going though are paramount to building a great team. He is not just a figurehead playing a role but rather a person who is fully tuned into his five senses in understanding what is going on around him and he treats everyone equally.

A good boss knows that he will have to take the staff into his confidence for help and ideas. He invites suggestions, solutions and to move forward although there may be painful decisions to be made.If the boss meets all these good qualities, we should stay with him.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

உற்றநோய் நீக்கி உறாஅமை முற்காக்கும்

பெற்றியார்ப் பேணிக் கொளல். (442)

आगत दुःख निवार कर, भावी दुःख से त्राण ।
करते जो, अपना उन्हें, करके आदर-मान ॥ (४४२

Explanation by Scholars:

Let (the person) procure and kindly care for men who can overcome difficulties when they occur, and guard against them before they happen.

வந்த துன்பங்களைப் போக்கும் வழி அறிந்து போக்கி, அவை திரும்பவும் வராமல் முன்னதாகவே காக்கும் ஆற்றல் மிக்கவரை, அவருக்கு வேண்டியதைச் செய்து,  துணையாகப் பெறுக.

Managing People

Work place Management

Trust is a fragile commodity in management, yet an exceedingly valuable one. It can make all the difference between an employee who is emotionally committed to an organization, engaged, highly productive and one who is disengaged or even destructive.

One of the elements of a successful employee-manager relationship is trust. When the sense of trust is strong between an employee and manager, it adds efficiency to other elements of workplace productivity.

Many Managers lack fundamental training in managing people. Skills and techniques are easier to teach, but values, beliefs and attitudes are much harder to teach and harder for managers to learn. Think of trust like a bank account. You extend trust “credits” proportional to the risk you are willing to take with someone. When that person honors the trust you’ve granted, then he or she gets a deposit in the trust account. When the person says or does something that busts your trust, then you deduct from their trust account.

Trust accounts can become overdrawn and create situations where it’s foolish to extend trust because there is no more trust to give. Trust busters are behaviors that destroy trust, sabotage relationships, and reduce the balance in the “trust account.”  Beware of trust busters.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar's view on trustworthy

தேரான் தெளிவும் தெளிந்தான்கண் ஐயுறவும்

தீரா இடும்பை தரும். (510)

परखे बिन विश्वास भी, औ’ करके विश्वास ।
फिर करना सन्देह भी, देते हैं चिर नाश ॥ (५१०)

Explanation by Scholars: 

Trusting a unworthy person and doubting a worthy person will give irremediable sorrow.

தேரான் தெளிவும் =  Trusting a unworthy person

தெளிந்தான்கண் ஐயுறவும் = doubting a worthy person

தீரா இடும்பை தரும் =  will give irremediable sorrow

Harmony

Work Place Management

Offices are a microcosm of humanity. They are a mix of all types of people, with all types of personalities, quirks, challenges and goals, so for everyone to get along beautifully, it takes effort.

Maintaining team harmony in the workplace is becoming a critical skill in today’s world, and the  challenge of achieving this can never be underestimated as long as humans are running the business. When a clash of personalities corrupts a productive working environment it can be prevented by creating harmony in the office.

Disharmony at work can be an unfortunate fact of life. The key causes are poor communication and consultation, absence of shared vision, mistrust leading to interpersonal conflict, poor leadership, lack of emotional intelligence.

We should recognise any disharmony, face it head on and use it as a learning tool. By leaving it unresolved, conflict will grow in magnitude, lead to toxic culture syndrome and weaken the business. Introducing clear and unambiguous ground rules for everyone in their work lives to live by and operate within will be helpful. Once people buy into these ground rules, they will become self-policing. 

Regardless of titles, roles or expertise, each member of the team needs to ensure that he not using his authority to try and control the process.  The goal should be to empower everyone to be full contributors and participants.

The common false perception of leadership is the belief that the leader has to be the smartest person on the team. That's why employees struggle with change, as those in control tend to devote little time on understanding potential apprehensions of other team members, choosing instead to use their authority to drive decisions from the top down.

It is true that people in leadership positions carry the responsibility for outcomes of the team’s decisions. It is essential that leaders need to communicate by treating each member with the same level of trust and respect, irrespective of what individual roles might be outside the team.

In order to be effective leaders the leaders need to be good followers and maintain the work place harmony.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

உலகத்தோடு ஒட்ட ஒழுகல் பலகற்றும்

கல்லார் அறிவிலா தார். (140)

जिनको लोकाचार की, अनुगति का नहिं ज्ञान ।
ज्ञाता हों सब शास्त्र के, जानों उन्हें अजान ॥ (१४०)

Explanation by Scholars 

Those who do not know how to act agreeably to the world, though they have learn many things, are still ignorant.

உயர்ந்தோர் ஏற்றுக் கொண்ட ஒழுக்கம் எனும் பண்போடு வாழக் கற்காதவர்கள் பல நூல்களைப் படித்திருந்தும் கூட அறிவில்லாதவர்களே ஆவார்கள்.

Managing Change and Adaptation

Work Place Management

                  

Life can be difficult to navigate in our fast-moving society. Things are changing so quickly these days that by the time we open the box of a new cell phone, it is probably out of date.

Change happens whether we want it to or not. Some people welcome change and find ways to turn the unexpected into an opportunity for growth.

Others become frightened and simply react. How we handle the inevitable changes in life is key to living a life without fear.

The right attitude can mean the difference between allowing unexpected life changes to keep us from achieving our goals or dealing with the changes and growing because of them.

Organizational change is not optional to keep pace with business. All organizations, at one time or another, face substantive modifications to some aspect of their business.

Be aware that change happens. It happens in personal life, and professional life.

We cannot live in the past, so denying that change could occur, only makes things more complicated.

Stay alert at the workplace to know what is happening around us. Anticipate the change process by recognizing its different stages. Seek more details from management and peers to form an accurate understanding of the matter.

Be transparent and honest about the fears. Change is a time when one’s confidence about one’s skills and capabilities gets shaky.

Recognize the strengths and bring them into play. Be flexible enough to look at the different angles of the change and see.

Learning to deal with the changes going on around us is a great survival tool. ie., “Go with the flow,” and that may be the most comfortable way to deal with the future.

AiyanThiruvalluvar says

எவ்வ துறைவது உலகம் உலகத்தோடு

அவ்வ துறைவ தறிவு. (426)

जैसा लोकाचार है, उसके ही उपयुक्त ।
जो करना है आचारण, वही सुधी के युक्त ॥ (४२६)

Explanation by Scholars:

To live as the world lives, is wisdom.

உலகம் எவ்வாறு நடைபெறுகின்றதோ, உலகத்தோடு பொருந்தியவகையில் தானும் அவ்வாறு நடப்பதே அறிவாகும்.

Constructive Criticism

Work Place Management

Taking criticism can be a difficult thing. It can be hard to deal with because nobody likes to be told they are wrong. But it is not all bad because sometimes we can use criticism to give us a competitive edge.

If someone has a criticism it means, they want to give feedback on what we are doing for them. It is an opportunity to learn more about the person or customer and how to convert him into a satisfied customer.

In business, working with someone who is patient and able to receive and act on criticism means both parties can work towards a better outcome. It may make uncomfortable listening but it can make his product stronger in the market as a result. Constructive criticism can guide away from bad practices and towards good ones. Constructive criticism is often the only way we learn about our weaknesses and without it we cannot improve.

Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, many of us react with defensiveness and anger, or even worse, attack the person giving feedback. But the truth is we need to get over it. We should know there is value in constructive criticism.

We should remember, feedback is not easy to give and it is certainly not easy to receive, but it will help us now and in the long run.

The goal in constructive criticism is to critique an individual so they will benefit or improve to achieve the success. A good professional is able to take criticism on board and not respond as though it is a personal attack. They are able to make it work to their advantage.

That puts them at an advantage over anyone else in their sector and can be used again in the future to get things right, even faster.

Aiyan Thiruvalluvar says

இடிக்குந் துணையாரை யாள்வரை யாரே

கெடுக்குந் தகைமை யவர். (447)

दोष देख कर डाँटने जब हैं मित्र सुयोग्य ।
तब नृप का करने अहित, कौन शत्रु है योग्य ॥ (४४७)

Explanation by Scholars

Who are great enough to destroy him who has servants that have power to rebuke him?

இடித்துரைத்து நல்வழி காட்டுபவரின் துணையைப் பெற்று நடப்பவர்களைக் 
கெடுக்கும் ஆற்றல் உள்ளவர் எவர் இருக்கின்றனர்.