Leaders and Managers

Managers and leaders are both important. People follow managers because they must. People follow leaders by choice. And, it’s ideal for one person to have both qualities. You can hit a professional jackpot by being great at both. 

QUALITIES OF A GREAT LEADER

1. Being humble 
   A leader is someone who usually shares the spotlight and credits followers for the work that they have done as a team. It takes more confidence to be humble than in basking in the glory of accomplishment. Clients and employees appreciate humility, and leaders who give credit where credit’s due!
2. Lead by example
   Leaders lead by example. They are not hypocrites. If a leader wants subordinates to be punctual, they themselves will establish the habit of being punctual first. Leaders need to set the tone and the followers will be inspired to follow, automatically.
3. Communicate effectively
   Leaders will be able to effectively communicate on and off the job. Along with being heard and understood, great leaders also know the importance of listening. Leaders understand that communication is a two-way street.
4. Know your limits
   Leaders set limits for themselves. Leaders know what and how much they can tolerate, saving the entire office loads of frustration. Keeping clear boundaries helps prevent any sort of confusion.
5. Keep meetings productive
   Time is money! They avoid tangential discussions and other sources of unproductivity during meetings. Leaders trust their team to do their job right, with no need for micromanagement.
6. Be emotionally aware
   They keep all kinds of emotions out of the office. Business is more about the relationships between people. And to build and nurture lasting relationships a good leader has to be emotionally intelligent.
7. Never stop improving
   Great leaders are constantly learning and updating their knowledge. They never stop. They continually work to improve themselves and be better. There is always a new skill to master or a new project to work on. Great leaders keep their mind open for new possibilities and fresh ideas.

QUALITIES OF A GREAT MANAGER

1. Expect excellence
   It is important for a manager to set high yet realistic standards, and expect employees to meet them. Ultimately, the best managers are not those who are the nicest or the toughest, but those who get things done and demonstrate tangible results. Once employees understand that a manager expects excellence—not only their own, but that of others—they will likely begin to up their game and perform better.
2. Communicate regularly by providing meaningful feedback in real time
   At first, communicating effectively may sound a bit trite, but it is fundamental to sound management. The best and strongest managers are those who are excellent communicators. The ability to provide both positive and negative feedback is a core skill and competency for managers.
3. Don’t avoid conflict, but deal with it directly and fairly
   Every professional knows that the workplace is a breeding ground for conflict. Issues like compensation, interpersonal problems, cost-cutting, recognition, management-employee relations, layoffs, and many other points of conflict are bound to arise. There is never a shortage of molehills to create mountains out of.
   Though it is tempting to turn a deaf ear, the best managers do not avoid conflict and instead address any issues that arise fairly. Employees observe takes responsibility and who doesn’t.
   They are likely to show more respect to those managers who resolve issues immediately than those who ignore the problem or don’t act quickly.
4. Be open to new ways of looking at things
   Adaptability, flexibility, and being attuned to their environment are some of the qualities of a good manager. They always look for new opportunities by listening to what others have to say. It is important to be a good listener, no matter your role. That said, it’s quite common for, the best process improvement ideas come from employees who are relatively low in the organizational hierarchy. A good manager is never afraid to shift from the usual “This is the way we’ve always done it here.”
5. Accept that you still have a lot to learn
   Once they have attained a management position, managers sometimes forget that they are in the process of learning, too. You may have expertise in their field with years of experience, but keeping your mind open to new ideas is important. Professional advancement is fueled by a constant learning process—and once a manager accepts this and sets continuous improvement as a standard, they become a better manager than before.
6. Set a good example
   If a manager has an insular mentality, they may struggle to understand subordinates and face difficulty in making them abide by the rules. The same professionalism, commitment, and dedication that the manager demands from his juniors need to be upheld by him, as well.
7. Be decisive
   It is important for a manager to make decisions and stick to them. Employees are generally not comfortable with someone who constantly changes their mind on issues. A confident manager is one who does not fear being wrong. The best managers use bad situations as learning curves and as examples of what not to do. Employees are generally repelled by those employers who are in denial of the repercussions of the decisions that have been made by them.
8. Be patient with yourself
   Being able to develop strong skills leading and managing takes time. Keep in mind all of the above tips. Talk to more people who have been in the role, and learn from them. This will improve your skills as a manager.

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To gain success, a person will need high EQ;

If you don't want to lose quickly, you will need a high IQ;

If you want to be respected, you will need high LQ (of love) ... Jack Ma, Founder, Alibaba

At-will employment

At-will employment means that an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, or for no reason without incurring legal liability, as long as they don't discriminate in doing so. Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason with no adverse legal consequences. 

As long as your employment isn't covered by a collective bargaining agreement, an individual employment contract or regulations that supersede Employment at Will, one could be fired at any moment, no matter how long he/she has held your job. Employment at Will sounds like a great deal for employers, but it's not. Employment at Will is a terrible thing for employers and their employees both.

1. It promotes "keep your boss happy" even if it is conflict with organization's interest.
2. It encourages employees to search for another job even when his problem could be resolved through frank and open communication.
3. Organization will get saddled with lousy managers, since lower rung employee's views never reaches the top.
4. It keeps employees focused on pleasing their direct supervisors and organization loses on breath taking ideas in trying new things by lower rung employees.
5. It kills the abilities of employees in collaboration, innovation and to try out new things. Employees can't be blamed for taking the safe route when their income is at stake.
6. It makes people shut up when they desperately want to speak that would benefit organization.
7. It gives supervisors and managers the idea that they are kings and queens in their little kingdoms. This idea promotes loyalty to a supervisor over idea-sharing, disruptive thinking or any other ambitious undertaking that squashes the potential of your team.
8. It disrupts the critical connection between employee and their passion for their work. That's harmful and expensive to your business. Employees are focused on guarding not to irritate their managers.
9. It keeps the organization mired in fear, lacking trust.
10. Managers & HR team uses Employment at Will as a cudgel against their employees.

Organizations can step out of Employment at Will simply by using a higher standard for employee discipline and termination. The more clearly and consistently organization shows to its employees that merely speaking up or having a different opinion from their boss will not get them in trouble, the more trust will grow in the organization. To lead through trust instead of fear, managers must be trained to coach and lead not to ride herd on their employees. Smart employers grab the best talent, pay them well and treat them well while on board.

The chief business of Americans is business

This is a trait in US, where people are well educated, well informed and have social security cover. The same has been copied by Indian IT industry and suits their policy deficits in their HR practices. During down turns lay offs are common these days without any kind of fair policy leading to heart burns among laid off employees at times doing their job well and way above in the merit order. Many times the laid off employees have family to support and repay bank loan EMIs and loss of job creates turbulence at home. Companies who resort to reckless layoffs will suffer loss of reputation and are avoided during recruitment drives. It helps a lot for companies to have policies and procedures that may be followed in different circumstances which goes long way avoiding troubles and safeguarding reputation.