I found an interesting thread this evening in a discussion post about a recently minted MBA who seems to be ostracizing himself at work when it comes to relationships with his peers and boss.  In this case the graduate likes to reiterate the fact that he has an MBA, uses shop jargon taught in business school around people who are unfamiliar with such and is reluctant to perform duties that he considers beneath him.  His boss unfortunately seems to be at a genuine loss as to how to handle the employee.

The thing that all graduates would do well to remember is that the workplace is more about relationships than it is skill or savvy.  Of course skill and savvy are very important as well and are generally the reasons people are hired in the first place but relationships often determine whether or not the new hire will retain his/her job for any amount of time.  Of course they generally don’t teach you this kind of stuff in MBA programs, but trust me on this one; you cannot win every battle if you stand alone. 

I’m not the most experienced leader in the world, but I have been a leader long enough to make and learn from most of the critical mistakes that leaders make in my brief tenure.  Like it or not MBAs are people who have been or are being groomed for leadership positions.  As such it is a shame that there is not more emphasis on soft skills in many MBA programs, so I have put together a list of mistakes young/inexperienced leaders often make.

1.)    Show respect towards others even those who you feel do not deserve it or who you feel are not showing you the proper respect.  Respect however does not mean you allow them to walk over you like a mat, nor does it mean that you like them.  Only that you are always professional with them, even when you feel like they are just begging you to lay into them. 

2.)    Communicate clearly.  Be careful not to use jargon where possible or speak in such a manner as to confuse or cause others to feel that you are talking down to them.  I struggle with this at times and it is simply not possible to spare everyone’s feelings 100% of the time, but you should be sincere in your efforts.

3.)    Never ask anyone to do anything you are not willing to do yourself.  The other day I grabbed a bag of trash to take to the dumpster and one of my employees saw me carrying it down the hall and said “Wow, I didn’t think I’d ever see you take out the trash”.  Of course we have a janitorial staff, I also have line level and tier 2 employees who work for me and I guess it never occurred to this guy that I would be willing to do what I have asked others to do in the past.  I am not afraid to get my hands dirty however, that’s how I got into the position I am in today.

4.)    Never lose the habits that got you promoted in the first place.  Were you always the go to guy?  Were you the guy who was always brainstorming to improve things or the guy who would work late and come in early?  Don’t lose those habits that have proven to be worthwhile. 

5.)    Never forget where it is you come from.  I am the son of a working class blue collar guy who busted his butt all his life to provide a middle class living for me, my brothers and sister.  My mom is the same way.  I’ll be danged if I become some stiff shirt with a tie that treads on the backs of people like my parents.  The best thing a leader can do is to make it possible for those who work for him/her to get ahead.  Instead of slamming the gate shut behind himself/herself, a true leader will share his/her knowledge with their subordinates and demonstrate how it is possible for them to succeed as well.  It’s also important that the leader not only provide the knowledge but impart some of his/her workplace values as well.  It would do no good for a leader to promote a talented yet ruthless employee to a position of power. 

6.)    Be fair.  Always be fair, even with those employees you cannot stand.  I treat everyone who works for me firm, but always fairly and I will always back them up even if they make a mistake as long as their intentions were in the right place.  In other words I have clear and unyielding expectations but I understand that sometimes when you take risks, stuff happens.  Whatever I do, I never single anyone out for favor or for ill despite my personal relationship with them. 

7.)    Be honest.  The first time you get caught being shifty or lying you will lose a large measure of respect and credibility in the workplace.  In fact you may never recover professionally from being dishonest.  Perhaps you won’t get caught the first time, or even the second time but we are all creatures of habit.  If you are lying today chances are you will have to lie tomorrow. 

8.)    Know the people who work for you.  Get to know something about all of them.  Get to know about their families, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes.  Most importantly try to ascertain how that person views themselves and how they view you.  For instance, is the office blowhard really the most egotistical guy you know or is he just some guy with an inferiority complex who is trying to impress you?  The way you handle him would be very different based upon which one you feel he is. 

9.)    Let your record or credentials speak for themselves.  I work in the kind of office where it’s easy to feel like you are a wallflower if you are not constantly blowing your own horn.  But the truth of the matter is that people notice whether you know it or not.  Eventually your good work will begin to speak for itself.  Even though you may realize little or no immediate gain, trust me, at some point it will work in your favor.  So don’t blow your own horn unless asked specifically about something and even then show some humility.  If you have an MBA or you landed the companies biggest accounts, everyone knows.  You don’t have to remind them. 

10.)                        Remember that no job is beneath you.  If your boss asks you to clean the windows, do so cheerfully.  If it is crap work perhaps you are being tested or perhaps your boss has a legitimate reason for asking you even if you do not understand what it could be.  In the worst case scenario he/she would be screwing with you but if any of those 3 reasons are the case, you completing the work cheerfully and without complaint will only work towards your favor.  Either you pass the test, fulfill the boss’s unspoken reason for completing the task or completely ruin all the fun of him/her trying to tick you off.  You can’t lose with the attitude that no job is beneath you.  My opinion is that I am paid to follow directives.  The minute that I disagree with a directive I have one of two possible options, either I make it part of my job and complete the task or quit. 

For those of you interested in the thread I mentioned above see:

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