Increase Self-Esteem to Be a Better Manager

Are you a manager or do you employ managers? Many of us are responsible for managing other people as part of our work and/or personal lives. Sometimes we lack the proper training and don’t have the skills, sometimes we really don’t like managing, and sometimes we are not attuned to the needs of others. These can all be contributing factors to less then stellar management. However, the top five causes for poor management are related to low self-esteem.

According to Nathaniel Branden in “Self-Esteem at Work” the reasons that managers experience career setbacks, missed promotions and business failures are:

1- Poor interpersonal skill is the single biggest cause of failure.

A person with low self-esteem is not a good listener, avoids dealing with potentially troublesome issues, and avoids confrontation out of fear and insecurity. This manager does not communicate respect for themselves and others and does not create a climate for good performance

2- The inability to change and let go of strategies that are no longer adaptive.

Those with poor self-esteem cling to the known and are afraid to embrace change and do not view it as an exciting opportunity. In our time of rapidly changing technology, this is an obvious liability.

3- A pre-occupation with self-aggrandizement or turf-protection at the expense of the needs of the organization.

The manager with low self-esteem does not believe that they can succeed based on their performance, and guards against being “found out”. Their perception of reality is distorted and they are unable to be objective, let others in and get expert assistance when needed.

4-A fear of making decisions and taking action-one of the commonest causes of business failure.

Self-esteem is inherently the ability to trust one’s own judgment and proceed accordingly.

5- A lack of resilience and the ability to rebound from adversity and setbacks.

Low self-esteem does not create the inevitable setbacks and disappointments that are part of life, but does affect the response to them. Low self-esteem creates defensiveness and passivity instead of resourcefulness and creativity.

Raising self-awareness has the effect of raising self-esteem. If you want to increase your self-awareness, ask yourself how you would be different if you did the following:
-brought more consciousness to your dealing with people
-operated with greater self-acceptance
-became more assertive
-operated more purposefully
-acted with more integrity

These areas can be worked on in small increments every day. Branden suggests that it is most helpful to think in terms of a 5% increase a week, for example: If I brought 5% more consciousness in dealing with people (fill in the blank). Don’t judge or censor yourself, come up with 6-10 answers as spontaneously as possible. Just the act of thinking about these areas and writing them down creates higher self-esteem.

Try it out and pass this on to anyone you know who needs help being a better manager. They and all those whom manage will thank-you!