The way a leader treats managerial errors often affects the overall performance of a company. And the most serious omission can be his wrong attitude to the mistakes themselves. In our opinion, one of the most important managerial competencies of a manager is the ability to effectively analyze and evaluate mistakes - both his own and his staff. And the ability to do this in a team characterizes a modern leader as an unconditional leader. For a manager, it is important not only to analyze the effectiveness of his business, including the mistakes made in the company's activities. The most important thing is to form a certain corporate culture where subordinates can openly and fearlessly discuss mistakes, failures and growth areas of the company. At the same time, the comfort and openness of the working atmosphere of the group is of particular importance. Understanding how to achieve this, we analyzed one of the methods of organizational self-diagnosis - analysis managerial mistakes.

Studying the vast practice of management and sociology of the organization, a modern Russian sociologist and a well-known management consultant dealing with problems of organizations and management, Arkady Prigogine compiled a whole collection of typical management mistakes, which is shown in Table 1. By analyzing these mistakes, the manager and the team can look at their work as if from the outside and critically assess their own potential.

So, for a team assessment of managerial errors, work in a group must be built as follows:

Step 1. It is necessary to ask the participants of group work to carefully read the list of errors (see Table 1) and supplement it (if necessary), assigning the corresponding numbers (numbers) and letters to the new positions.

Step 2 Then the participants are asked to select from the lists under consideration those errors that, in their opinion, are especially dangerous for the organization (two or three errors for each of the six points), and make a corresponding mark (a number with a letter). An example is shown in table 2.

Step 3 In the right column of this table, it is necessary to make a note about those errors that are most relevant for the company at the present time.

Step 4 As a result, the repeatability of error numbers is discussed together in the group. The data obtained gives an idea of ​​which errors should be worked on first.

table 2

A feature of this method is the absence of the need for strict formulation of problems by the participants themselves. When analyzing errors, they only need to focus their actions only on marking a selected item from a list prepared by a recognized professional consultant. This relieves the internal tension that arises during such group work, and gives the company's employees self-confidence for their further joint work in a group.

If the group is non-conflicting and there is no pressure from the authority of the authorities in it, then the above procedure can be performed by the method of public reading aloud each item in turn by all participants in the work, followed by individual assessment. The work on the list of errors and their classification allows the participants of the group analysis to look at themselves and their company from a slightly different angle and critically assess their potential.

It should also be noted that the classification of managerial errors given in Table 1 is not the only one. We propose to consider other classifications of managerial errors that can be found in modern management.

Typical mistakes of leaders

1. The proper relationship of the manager with direct subordinates has not been established.

2. Lack of proper support for the newly-minted leader from his leadership.

3. An attempt by a young leader to immediately change all the established procedures.

4. Inattention to the long-term goals of direct reports.

5. Excessive sociability of the leader and the establishment of personal friendly relations with subordinates.

6. Abuse of power.

7. The absence of a negative assessment of their subordinates.

8. Lack of positive assessment of subordinates.

9. Too tight control using the top pressure method.

10. Improper adaptation of new employees to the company structure.

11. Focusing on secondary issues, losing sight of the main thing - strategic tasks.

12. Bad delegation.

13. Difficulty finding a compromise. "Black-and-white" thinking, when assessments are always unambiguous, categorical, and have no shades.

14. Making the best decision instead of the feasible one.

15. Stubbornly sticking to old approaches that once ensured success.

16. Underestimating the severity of obstacles.

17. Completely identifying with the company, losing the ability to distinguish between personal and corporate interests.

This list can be continued. And each leader can rank it according to the degree of significance of errors in management activities for himself. The main thing in managerial "work on mistakes" is the ability to recognize them, talk about them with the team, develop solutions aimed at eliminating them and, of course, not repeat mistakes again. Sony co-founder Akio Morito said this about managerial mistakes: “Don't be afraid to make mistakes. But make sure you don't do them twice."

Taisiya Vasilishina - consulting company"TOP Academy", expert of the magazine "HRMagazine"

• Leadership and Management

Keywords:

1 -1

It was sealed - and everything was done. Lost - and together went the wrong way. It is sometimes harder for a leader than for a sapper. His mistakes are costly not only to himself, but to the business as a whole. summed up the most gross mistakes of leaders.

1. The wrong goal - and the business "shakes and fevers"

Word Inna Vlasova, PR director of the STEP consulting center:
"Since we often work with business owners, we also see the mistakes of the most important managers who cost businesses the most. In the first place - the wrong goal: the owners (from two to infinity, our record is 8 co-owners) did not agree on business development goals Therefore, strategic conflicts inevitably arise, which are omitted in the form of a motivation system and KPIs for employees.

Or, as in one story from our practice, the managers of two "groups" with different visions of how the business should develop, took turns heading the company, radically changing everything. As you can imagine, the business was "shaking and in a fever" when the owners came to us for advice."

2. No clear plan

Tells Evgeny Zhigalov, CEO, founder of the consulting center "Ezh":
"Practice shows that among the main mistakes that leaders make are lack of clear planning, step-by-step strategic actions with delegation of authority. The manager takes full responsibility, losing efficiency, which can lead to an unpredictable situation."

3. And who is responsible?

“If there is no clear clarity on who is responsible for what, subordinates tend to assume that the leader is responsible for everything. In this case, they include a helpless state of “I don’t influence anything, I don’t decide anything,” says

But the leader really always bears responsibility for everything, notes Head of Human Resources at BDO Unicon Outsourcing Zulfiya Yupashevskaya, and the grossest mistake, in her opinion, is to shift responsibility to subordinates in the event of a negative development of the situation:

"If one of the employees made a mistake, it means that the manager did not control the person in time, chose the wrong performer or incorrectly formulated the task. Yes, it is not easy to always select the right performers, always set tasks for them in the right way and have time to control their execution on time. But it is precisely Therefore, the work of a leader requires much more skills and is valued more.

And if he refuses this responsibility in case of a mistake, then his authority in the eyes of his subordinates instantly falls, and in the future it will be much more difficult for him to lead the whole team.

4. Inattention to detail

Although it is believed that a leader does not have a bad memory, there is a bad secretary, nevertheless, inattention to some details sometimes leads to undesirable consequences, which, by the way, would be easy to avoid!

In confirmation - a story from practice director of the training center, business coach Svetlana Voropayeva:

"Let me give you an example from own experience- my inattention led to the loss of an excellent employee in 2014. In preparation for the monthly meeting, I did not check the list of personnel changes for the month and, accordingly, did not report the promotion of one employee, let's call her Natalya. Usually such a declaration goes with a listing strengths employee, with applause and presentation thank you letter. At that time - not a word about Natalya, or about reshuffles in the company.

Three days later, I had a letter of resignation from this employee on my desk, while she flatly refused to explain anything or talk about the reasons. They were voiced to me by her friends after she left. It turned out that Natalya was very offended by me personally, because she decided that I had a personal dislike for her. Since then, I have been more thoroughly preparing for any meetings and planning meetings.

5. Failure to prioritize

“Very often, managers themselves do not realize the priorities in work, this issue is “hanging” in the air, employees are forced to act intuitively,” says psychologist, business coach, HR consultant of Gestalt Consulting Nadezhda Safyan.

"For example, what is more important - speed or economy? - Nadezhda continues. - Lack of understanding of priorities in work in a particular a period of time, on the specific project prevents you from getting the desired result.

6. Absence feedback staff

Contact - there is a contact. The leader often expects from his subordinates an immediate reaction, prompt expert advice, regular reports, while he himself is silent. Many people have to "chase" the boss for a long time: catch at the door, "make an appointment" and so on. and so on.

"The lack of quality feedback to the staff suggests that a person does not fully understand the quality level of their activities," he said. Petr Markov, head of the marketing department for Russia and the CIS at Ivideon.

7. Lack of performance criteria

This happens when "employees do not understand how they evaluate their performance, which will be a good result," believes psychologist, business coach, HR consultant of Gestalt Consulting Nadezhda Safyan.

8. "It's easier to do it yourself than to explain"

"Another managerial failure is when the manager, instead of trying to explain to the employee what he did wrong, redoes the work for him. As a result, the employee does not learn anything, and the manager concludes himself in vicious circle when you have to constantly do everything yourself, - notes Yana Fomina, head of the public relations department of the State Institution "Mosgortour".

9. Pressure on staff

"Inexperienced managers are inherent in a number of other mistakes," continues Yana Fomina. For example, the use of only a "whip" and pressure on subordinates, an incorrect assessment of the complexity of the task, inaccurate distribution of responsibilities and resources.

10. Public criticism of subordinates

Word
"One of the unforgivable mistakes for a leader is to undermine the trust of employees. This can be done different ways. For example, to criticize subordinates in public. For many employees, this is a very painful procedure if outsiders are involved, and even if the criticism is justified, after that you can hardly count on an atmosphere of trust in the team. I profess the following principle: to praise in front of everyone, to scold only in private.

11. Uncontrollable emotions

"Another gross mistake," he says. Head of Marketing Russia and CIS Ivideon Petr Markov, - transition to personalities and "or". He shouted - he unequivocally discredited himself as a leader, as a professional.

12. Familiarity

Word Alexandre Postovan from the respiratory clinic "Halomed":
"I believe that the worst mistake of a leader at all times is familiarity, even in small companies such relationships should not be allowed. Subordinates, for their part, should always be clearly aware of the burden of responsibility that lies on the leader (respectively, therefore, the boss is always "senior" , even if it is not the case due to age).

By the way, in medicine in this regard, the issue has been resolved since ancient times. Most of the responsibility always lies with the doctor, so the nurses strictly follow the chain of command. And the better they realize this, the more and better they help. Such nurses are highly valued by doctors themselves. There can be no familiarity."

13. Micromanagement

Word Zulfiya Yupashevskaya, Head of Human Resources at BDO Unicon Outsourcing:
"A common mistake of managers is the desire to engage in micromanagement - that is, to dive too deeply into the tasks that they set for subordinates, to do a lot of unnecessary work that could be entrusted to employees, to supervise them too much. In addition to the fact that this "eats up" the huge temporary resources of the manager, it also often irritates subordinates, deprives them of initiative and does not give any opportunity for novice employees to grow professionally.

I knew one manager who, when assigning a regular report to an employee, prepared instructions for him that were several times larger than the report itself. As a result, the manager spent more time preparing such instructions than the subordinates needed to carry them out. The manager did not have enough time to solve more important tasks, and the performers gradually lost interest in the work and did it less efficiently. Finally the man felt emotional burnout and changed jobs, next command he was advised in time to change his leadership style and trust his subordinates more."

Summarizing
The most valuable thing in a professional is the ability to set aside personal emotions, take a sober look at the problem and correct your actions. With a leader who loads work on the mistakes not only of subordinates, but also of himself, the team feels the most inspiration.

School of Management

If you want to make your management style more effective, here are some worthwhile practical tips.

Veresov N.N.

Typical managerial mistakes and how to eliminate them

There is no doubt that a strong (dominant, creative, confident, purposeful) personality is an indispensable condition for the professional success of a leader. The formation of the qualities of a strong personality is one of the mandatory conditions manager's work on himself. But what is the relationship between a “strong personality” and a “strong leader”? You can be a strong person and not be a strong leader, but strong leaders tend to be strong personalities. The problem, therefore, is that the manager should include in his work on himself the development of purely managerial qualities.

Where does work on yourself begin?

Where does work on yourself begin? First, with awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, secondly, from overcoming some stereotypes of consciousness that prevent building effective relationships with people and blocking opportunities for one's own development, for a creative attitude to the profession and life.

Some of these signs are directly related to personal qualities, come from them (resistance, sociability, endurance, self-confidence, etc.). And others (the ability to see changes, competence, the ability to use time, etc.) are purely managerial, the development of which requires special efforts. Some of these qualities, for example, competence in managerial problems, are acquired in the process special education. Thus, a strong personality and a strong leader are close, but not identical, phenomena. In order to organize the work of the team to achieve the set goals, force alone, even the force of coercion, is clearly not enough.

Management - specific activity

Management is a specific activity that imposes specific requirements on a person. For example, in the General Motors Corporation they are:

1. Competence. Every manager must know what to do and how to do his job best. in the best way. This, of course, does not exclude the fact that everyone works in his own unique manner. Competence is cultivated in a rather original way - based on the idea that the leader cannot afford to learn from his own mistakes. Management knowledge can be obtained either as a result of special training, or as a result of a careful analysis of the mistakes of others and one's own experience.

2. Dignity and responsibility. The requirement to approach all matters with dignity and responsibility is more than just business ethics. Each leader knows exactly: for what work and according to what criteria he bears absolute responsibility. This responsibility can never, under any circumstances, be transferred to someone else (subordinate), even in cases where the manager is not at the workplace. Hence the dignity, because it is determined by a permanent circle of responsibility.

3. A sense of the new and the ability to take risks. A sense of the new develops as a result of constant change, improvement in the ways of performing old, standard tasks. The feeling of the new is a steady result of the constant search for the new, which, of course, involves risk. This is encouraged in the activities of every leader. But it is not just the desire and ability to take risks that is important - the ability to take risks is important. A leader who knows how to take risks:

Ready to effectively use all the resources available to him;

Ready for risk;

Able to plan their actions (planning does not exclude risk, rather the opposite: good planning arms those who are able to take risks).

4. Sensitivity and mobility. Feeling what is happening, the main trends in the development of business and subordinates, in a timely manner to capture the mood of people, their needs, needs - it also means that you also respect the opinions of others (having your own), and be ready for changes. This quality is cultivated by encouraging new ideas, strategic decisions at any level of subordination. Anticipating a problem allows you to deal with it long before it gets to its full height. As a result, both time and money are saved.

5. High performance. Efficiency is not only the ability to work for a long time and with high quality. This is the ability to optimally organize one's work, which is measured by the number of important issues to be resolved per unit of time. This is patience, without which long hard work is impossible.

Even this cursory review management requirements shows that a strong personality can not always be a strong leader. The specifics of managerial activity is such that it is extremely important what and where the force is directed. At General Motors, these requirements apply to leaders of any rank. Equally stimulated is the fact that all leaders make these demands themselves. But it is hardly possible to imagine a manager equally possessing all of the listed qualities. This is more of an ideal to strive for. In reality, each leader seeks and finds his own style, his own combination personal qualities, managerial abilities and skills. And it is unlikely that there will be at least one that “100%” meets these requirements. At the same time, any leader "at 100" should not correspond to the characteristics of a weak manager. Knowing what not to be is the first step to finding your own way and your own style in management.

Typical traits of a weak leader

What are the generally accepted typical features weak (bad) leader?

Weak Leader:

Always faced with a mass of unexpected, unforeseen circumstances, spending a huge amount of time and effort to eliminate them. “Here you are!”, “All of us are not thankful to God!”, “Where it’s thin, it breaks there,” - one way or something like this one can characterize the usual troubles that haunt him daily, or even hourly. Because, firstly, he cannot predict, feel the approach of problems and prepare for their appearance in advance. Secondly, all the time he constantly deals with secondary issues, losing sight of the main thing - strategic tasks, which, if left to their own devices, give rise to these most unfortunate "unforeseen circumstances".

I am convinced that he knows the business and knows how to do it best, so he tries to do everything himself. This is based on a misunderstanding of at least two of the most important axioms of management, namely: daily the leader must solve much more tasks than he is physically capable of. Therefore, a professional distributes some of the tasks among his subordinates, delegating to them also the appropriate powers. He just has to do it and knows well how to do it right; many employees know their business as well as better than the boss. Whoever produces does not govern; who governs does not produce. The business of the leader is to manage, that is, to produce something with the hands of other people, and not with their own. A professional manager organizes people for work and knows how to do it as efficiently as possible.

He tries to delve into everything, so he practically does not have time. Often proud of their employment. Receiving visitors, at the same time talking on the phone, signing an order and giving verbal orders to subordinates. If this style of work is not an imitation of vigorous activity (which, of course, there is), I would call it the principle of Julius Caesar. As you know, this Roman emperor was famous for his ability to do several things at the same time. I still think that for a modern leader this is not the most best example for imitation - after all, Julius Caesar ended badly, and in this sense no one can be an exception.

Heaps papers on the desk. At the same time, it is completely unclear which of them are important, which are urgent, and which are not needed at all. With such an “order” on the desktop, the manager not only often cannot find the official document he needs at the moment, but also demonstrates to others - especially employees - the inability or unwillingness to organize their work, set priorities in business.

Open from early morning to late evening, sometimes even at night. It often looks like a person loaded to the limit, "not giving a descent either to himself or to his subordinates." Such a leader causes nothing but regret. Why? Because it clearly ignores some of the basic commandments of effective management, namely:

Each task takes all the time that is allotted for its implementation;

Working longer than 8 hours is extremely unproductive, and too high a price is paid for it.

His briefcase is "bloated" with the papers he carries home and back from work.. The only real benefit of this exercise is that dragging the portfolio can, in a sense, replace physical exercise. (So, the famous Russian wrestler Ivan Poddubny walked with a pound cane to keep fit.) A folder for papers, a light diplomat - that's what you need to strive for.

The decision of any, and even more important, issue tries to postpone. I hope that the issue will either be resolved by itself, or someone else will solve it. If he takes on a problem, he never solves it to the end. As a result, the burden of unresolved problems weighs more and more on him, forcing him to make managerial mistakes.

Possesses "black and white" thinking. He sees everything only in white and only in black, his assessments are always unambiguous, categorical, have no shades. This leads to the fact that he loses the opportunity for compromise. "Hit or miss!" not the best motto for a leader.

Gives too much importance to random, insignificant details not being able to distinguish the main from the secondary, the important from the unimportant, the essential from the unimportant. Inflates details, tends to "make an elephant out of a fly."

Tryna take best solution instead of feasible. And he forgets that not a single decision, especially a managerial one, can suit absolutely everyone, absolutely everyone likes it. The art of management, among other things, also consists in choosing a solution not from a variety of possible (ideal) ones, but from really available, really feasible ones. The most effective solution with minimal infringement of interests is the main guideline of the modern manager.

Desires to have a reputation as a good leader and does so original way : either familiarizes with subordinates (the shirt-guy variant), or uses the principle open doors when anyone wants to come to his office, when he wants and on any issue.

Seeks to avoid responsibility, tends to blame others, in short, looking for a "scapegoat".

Takes credit for the success of his team and individual employees, following the principle "their success would not have been possible without my sensitive guidance."

A weak leader reveals his weakness despite his formidable appearance, because he makes many managerial mistakes, sometimes elementary ones. Let's consider some of them.

Seven Common Management Mistakes and How to Eliminate Them

Postponing the decision to tomorrow, indefinitely, postponing.

This error could be based on:

The hope that the issue will somehow be resolved by itself or that someone else will solve it;

Lack of a clear and precise idea of ​​what the leader actually wants to achieve.

There are some real reasons for procrastination as a problem-solving method. They say after all, if the problem is not solved, then after a while it will be solved by itself. But there is another thing to remember: small problems, if left unresolved, tend to turn into big ones.

What should I do to fix this error? Psychologists recommend several ways, depending on the causes that cause it.

If the leader does not have a clear understanding of his goals and an idea of ​​​​what he wants, then the following actions help well:

Written formulation of immediate tasks;

Discussion of the problem with the nearest employees;

Establishing strict deadlines for solving the problem;

Dividing the task into parts and its phased solution.

If postponing is associated with self-doubt, indecision and fear, then you can use the recommendations of the American researcher Norman Peel. It is necessary to single out the component in the task that is most “annoying” and overcome it. To do this, do the following:

Ask yourself: "What should be my first step?" In this question lies the "energy of motion";

Imagine vividly, in detail, in pictures, what will happen if you delay, pull, and name these consequences aloud. It acts like a whip;

Remember that if people waited or collected all the information and resources needed for a case, then 80% of the cases would not be done. You need to start, and everything that is missing will appear on the way to the goal. Even if you think that you are 100% ready to work, then once you start, it will become clear that this is not the case.

Arrange the order of tasks according to their importance. Focus on one problem and work on it until it's solved, then move on to the next.

Set deadlines and let them know, ask someone to monitor your progress towards the deadline.

Do the hardest part of the job first. Otherwise, the most difficult work will remain for the time when fatigue accumulates.

To start a business, it is enough that the initial details and the final goal are clear.

Doing the job halfway. Psychologists recommend doing only those things that you can solve today. If the task is too voluminous and complex, then it should be divided into parts so that one of them can be solved in its entirety every day. It will be much more useful both for the activity and for your nervous system.

Trying to do everything at once. It is possible to move on to solving a new problem only when the previous one has already been solved, or at least a clear idea has been obtained about the nature of the solution and about who will solve it. The task of the manager is to create conditions for the effective functioning of the system, and not to take part in all the details or in the elimination of every malfunction.

The desire to do everything yourself. The manager's job is to manage, not to produce. Professional managers say: "The team is engaged in the development of production, the head - the development of the team." A manager who works effectively deals only with those tasks that no one but him can solve.

The belief that the leader knows everything best. You can't be competent in everything. What is the point in trying to know the work of subordinates better than they know it themselves? Everyone must do their job. If you are faced with a new, non-standard task, then you MUST, discarding false shame, turn to colleagues for help. Authority will not suffer from this.

Failure to differentiate powers. One of the main troubles of the organization is the lack of a clear delineation of tasks and service functions of employees. It often happens that employees know their official duties only in in general terms. This leads to the fact that there are temptations to transfer responsibility for the failure to perform work on someone else's shoulders and unjustifiably duplicate managerial actions. To avoid these troubles, it is necessary to clearly define the scope of duties and responsibilities of each employee, create clear and unambiguous job descriptions.

Blaming others. Finding a scapegoat is completely unproductive. At the same time, your energy is directed to the past, although nothing can be corrected. It is much more productive to focus activities on the future. The task of the leader is to establish the objective causes of failure and find ways to eliminate them, and not to look for a "scapegoat".

I would like to finish the discussion of typical managerial mistakes next question. Why, in spite of their obviousness, in spite of enough simple ways eliminate them, do these errors still occur? Maybe there is something that, contrary to the evidence, makes a person act not in the best way? There really is such a thing. But more on that in the next article.

Veresov Nikolai Nikolaevich, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy

1. Postponing the decision to tomorrow (or in general for an indefinite period or postponing).

This error can be caused by the following problems or circumstances:

hope that the issue will somehow be resolved by itself or someone else will solve it;

The manager does not have a clear and precise idea of ​​what he really wants to achieve.

I must say that procrastination, as a method of solving problems, has some real reasons. They say that if the problem is not solved, then after a while it begins to be solved by itself. On the other hand, remember that small problems, if left unresolved, tend to turn into big ones.

What should I do to fix this error? Psychologists recommend several ways, depending on the reasons that cause it. If the delay comes from the fact that the manager does not have a clear understanding of his goals and idea of ​​​​what he wants, then the following actions help well in this case:

Written formulation of immediate tasks;

Discussion of the problem with the nearest employees;

Establishing strict deadlines for solving the problem;

division of the task into parts and their step-by-step solution. If postponing is associated with self-doubt, with indecision and fear, then in this case, you can use the recommendations of the American researcher Norman Peel.

It is necessary to single out the component in the problem that "strains" the most and overcome it. To do this, do the following.

· ask yourself "What should be my first step?". This answer contains the "energy of motion".

imagine (brightly, in detail) what will happen if you delay, delay, imagine the consequences of this in pictures and say it out loud. It acts like a whip.

· to remember that if people waited or collected all the information and resources needed for a case, then 80% of cases would not be done. You need to start, and everything that is missing will appear on the way to the goal. Even if you think that you are 100 percent ready to work, then once you start, it will become clear that this is not the case.

You need to prioritize the tasks according to their importance. Focus on one problem and work on it until it's solved, then move on to the next.

You should set deadlines in a way that people know about it and ask someone to monitor your progress towards the deadline.

Do the hardest part of the job first. Otherwise, the hardest work will be left for the time when fatigue accumulates.

To start a business, it will be enough if the initial details and the final goal are clear.

2. Doing half the work.

From the point of view of organizing one's own activity and in order to preserve one's own nervous system, it is much more useful to limit oneself to the final solution of only a few problems than to simultaneously start many things that still cannot be completed. Psychologists recommend doing only those things that you can solve today. If the task is too voluminous and complex, then it should be divided into parts so that one of them can be solved in its entirety every day.

3. The desire to do everything at once.

It is possible to move on to solving a new problem only when the previous problem has already been solved, or at least a clear idea has been obtained about the nature of its solution and about who will solve it. The manager's task is to create conditions for the effective functioning of the system, and not to take part in all the details or in the elimination of every failure in its work.

4. The desire to do everything yourself.

The manager's job is to manage, not to produce. Professional managers say: "The team is engaged in the development of production, the head - the development of the team." A manager who works effectively deals only with those tasks that no one else can solve.

5. Belief that the manager knows everything best.

You can't be good at everything. What is the point in trying to know the work of subordinates - better than they know it themselves? Everyone must do their job. If a manager faces a new, non-standard task, then it is NECESSARY, having discarded false shame, to turn to colleagues for help. Authority will not suffer from this.

6. Inability to differentiate powers.

One of the main troubles of the organization is the lack of a clear delineation of tasks and service functions of employees. It often happens that employees know their job responsibilities only in general terms. This leads to the fact that there are temptations to transfer responsibility for the failure to perform work on someone else's shoulders and unjustified duplication of managerial actions. To avoid these troubles, it is necessary to clearly define the scope of duties and responsibilities of each employee, create clear and unambiguous job descriptions.

7. Blame others.

The search for a "scapegoat" is completely unproductive. At the same time, your energy is directed to the past, although nothing can be corrected. It is much more productive to focus activities on the future. The manager's task is to establish the objective causes of failure and find ways to eliminate them, and not to look for a "scapegoat".

I would like to end my discussion of typical managerial mistakes with the following question. Why, despite their obviousness, despite fairly simple ways to eliminate them, these mistakes are still made? Maybe there is something that, contrary to the evidence, makes a person act not in the best way. Indeed, there is. But more on that below.

Without constant and daily work on improvement and self-development, it is absolutely impossible to become and remain an effective manager. This is required by the very nature of management activity. After all, management, let me remind you, is such a management of people that leads them to success and self-realization. The development of people, the development of their organization, firm, enterprise is impossible if the manager does not develop and improve himself.

The self-development program and its implementation is one of the most important personal and professional goals of a manager. What are the main components, directions such a program can consist of? Psychologists recommend including the following aspects in it:

development of personal qualities that contribute to effective management;

development of professional skills, improvement of managerial actions;

development of communication skills.

Speaking about the development of one's own personal qualities, I mean the following. People are not perfect, everyone has their own flaws. True, not everyone is aware of their own shortcomings, trying to look for the reasons for their failures in other people, in circumstances or astrological forecasts. And yet, professional managers, effective managers are people who are well aware of their personal strengths and weaknesses. Realizing them, they try to make the most of their strengths and minimize the consequences of their shortcomings. Self-education, that is, the development of appropriate personal qualities in oneself, just begins with the realization of one's shortcomings in the stereotypes of consciousness, delusions, internal barriers and obstacles, and overcoming them. After all, before you fight, you must first find the enemy, the enemy. It is not easy, and all the more difficult if he, the enemy, is in yourself. Therefore, it makes sense to dwell in more detail on the analysis of these personal obstacles, subjective barriers to personal growth.

Psychologist Albert Ellis identified 11 ideas that exist in the minds of people, very widespread in the minds and, nevertheless, completely ridiculous. A person who orients his consciousness and activity to these ideas not only blocks the possibilities for self-development, but also very often torments himself with unnecessary, useless experiences. These common misconceptions can be called "blocking attitudes of consciousness." Before I turn to their analysis, I will dwell on one important circumstance, namely, how, in what way, one can get rid of them. There is one universal advice here: taking any managerial decision, analyze whether it was the result of any of these representations. Remember that on the basis of false ideas, it is hardly possible to make the right decision. So…

Eleven "blocking attitudes of consciousness"

1. Everyone should love me and approve of what I do. This is a general setting and can be specified in the following ways:

a) everyone should respect me because I am a manager (boss, director, boss);

b) if I do something, then I must be sure that everyone will approve of it (if not everyone approves of my actions, it means that I am doing something wrong or wrong).

This attitude of consciousness is absolutely unreasonable. Judge for yourself: to expect love and approval means to be subject to anxiety, grief, especially because someone does not approve of our actions. But no one can satisfy the tastes of all people at the same time. What pleases one, irritates others. In addition, if a person is entirely focused on the approval of other people, he will voluntarily or involuntarily begin to capture the feelings of other people, becoming dependent on them. Of all types of addiction, this is the worst, because feelings and emotions are changeable. There is no better way to lose self-reliance, self-confidence, integrity and depth than the constant desire to earn the love of others. It is better to remain true to yourself, striving for creativity, productive activity, and the disclosure of your abilities. If a person is like that, then love or dislike from others is unlikely to bother him. But if, due to individual characteristics, you depend on the opinions of other people, then the best way out for you is to find people with whom you would be united by common views, beliefs, ideas. It is better to spend time talking with friends and like-minded people than in fruitless attempts to please everyone and everyone.

2. A person must be beautiful (ideal) and succeed in any field, be impeccable in all respects.

A common version of this false belief might look like this: if a person does not succeed, then this is not a worthy person.

Obviously, it is impossible to be perfect, impeccable in everything at once. If this becomes a chain of a person, then he is doomed to constant torment about his failures, present past and future. A person drives himself into a psychological dead end, because even when he succeeds, and others recognize him as talented (even the most talented) in some area, he is constantly worried that tomorrow he may lose this position. Of course, the pursuit of excellence is necessary, but history shows that many people, being captive to excessive demands on themselves, do not achieve what they wanted. After all, in reality, few people manage to achieve something supernatural, but almost every person suffered failures, blunders. It is important to do a good job, learn the lessons that life gives us, and the rest will follow.

3. There are erroneous acts and everyone who committed them must be punished. As one of the Soviet people's commissars said: "Each so-called overlay has a name, surname and patronymic."

Of course, there is nothing good in mistakes (your subordinates and your own). However, it is quite clear that much of what others do and what you do not like, you would not do. But the opposite is also true. There is no reason to consider them bad people who deserve only punishment. Mere punishment does nothing, and the persecution of such people is generally harmful. It is much more useful to proceed from the "presumption of innocence", from the right to make a mistake. Remember that you are also wrong and look at the mistake of the subordinate through his eyes. Try to understand the meaning of his behavior and be tolerant of it. In general, in my opinion, nothing inspires subordinates as much as the ability of the boss to take responsibility for their mistake. It seems to me that every person makes exactly as many mistakes in life as he is supposed to make. No more, no less. True, this law operates under one condition - you should try to make them as few as possible.

4. It's terrible when I don't get it the way I want. A variant of this belief is "Everything is always wrong with me!" or "Everything is easy for others, but for me...". Such views can be characterized as infantilism, that is, the preservation in adulthood of some children's ideas about the world. It is an illusion that the world and everything that happens in it should be such that we like it. After all, after all, it was not created for our pleasure, not for everything and everyone to revolve around us. An adult person takes it for granted that the world in which he lives, everything that surrounds him, never exactly corresponds to his desires. After all, we often teach children that it is impossible to have everything you want. When we encounter something we don't like, don't take it as a personal affront. The only thing worth doing is to say to yourself: “Yes, this is bad, but I don’t like it” and think about how to change the current situation, and whether it is worth changing at all.

As for the successes of others, the belief that everything is easy for them, then the following circumstance should be borne in mind: when we see the successes of others, we, first of all, pay attention to the result. The efforts to achieve it remain hidden from us. Hence the illusion that the result is achieved easily. Without effort, you can win the lottery, but you cannot win. Instead of suffering and worrying about the success of others, it is better to turn your efforts to achieving the success of your own. It is important to remember that in our world there are more surrendered than defeated. Do not give up, and it will be impossible to defeat you.

5. A person gets upset because of external events and circumstances that he cannot influence.

From this follows the conviction that the causes of our worries, experiences, negative emotions lie outside of us, in the objective world, which does not depend on us. In reality, in the vast majority of cases, people get upset not because of some circumstances, but because of how they interpret them for themselves.

Strictly speaking, there is no point in worrying about some event that has already happened. Experiences will not only not correct the matter, but will also block the way out of the situation. And, secondly, the event may not be as terrible as it seems. A simple example will clarify what I mean. Imagine that you have lost your wallet. Of course, this can make you nervous. But no matter how upset you are, the wallet will not return to you, and your nerves will be wasted. Worrying too much about this, a person only exaggerates the consequences of this loss, harming himself. Moreover, this loss is not irreplaceable. A person who has lost loved ones is unlikely to worry about hemorrhoids. How do we react when one of our friends loses the wallet? "I would like your problems" go "Let this be your biggest loss." This truth should not be forgotten when troubles happen not to your friends, but to you,

6. Possible trouble creates anxiety. Until the danger passes, we must always expect it and prepare for it.

No doubt, you need to be prepared for trouble. But worrying about possible trouble is not The best way fight with her. First, there is no point in worrying and being nervous about something that hasn't happened yet. With your anxiety and excitement, you will not rid yourself of it. Moreover, such thoughts and such anxiety not only cannot prevent trouble, but can contribute to it, make it quite real from a possible one. Secondly, it often happens that when the expected trouble does occur, a person is no longer able to cope with it, because all his inner strength has gone to the experience in anticipation of it. And, finally, it may happen that the expected trouble does not happen at all or happens, but not with the expected consequences. And this means that strength and nerves are wasted.

If you really want to be prepared for trouble, then proceed as follows. First, you can always reduce the potential danger of a situation by providing the right exit. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." This means that you can at least stop thinking that this trouble is a collapse, the end of everything. This is not true.

7. Avoiding difficulties and responsibilities is easier (more convenient) than taking them on and dealing with them.

This phrase will be signed by thousands of leaders of various ranks. Avoidance (transshipment) of responsibility has become an occupational disease for many. It's amazing how much a manager sometimes has to do, how much time to spend on avoiding responsibility! There are hundreds of tricks to do this extremely effectively. The desire and desire to avoid responsibility for resolving issues, throwing the decision on others and, in extreme cases, postponing the decision for a while - this is the best way to turn a manager into an ordinary official. At the same time, it does not matter what his position will be called (even if " Chief Specialist management of education") - the manager in it has already died. As for professional managers, effective leaders focused on business, and not on maintaining their positions at any cost (even at the cost of the collapse of the business), they proceed from the fact that elimination of difficulties and responsibility leads to the fact that in the future these problems become generally unsolvable.It is best not to hide, but to tackle them as vigorously as possible.A professional manager will never refuse the opportunity to show his abilities.Solving a problem strengthens self-confidence, respect for Well, if the problem could not be solved - well, you can also benefit from this lesson. Happy life it is not the absence of problems, but their successful solution.

8. In life, you always need someone who is stronger, more powerful, on whom you can rely.

This attitude of consciousness, which is very common, could be called the "principle of the hairy paw." Its options are quite diverse, from: - I should be grateful for the good done to me by someone who is stronger and more powerful than me, to - people should be grateful to me for what I did for them and answer me the same. What can be said about this?

Now it is becoming clear to many people that the "patron", no matter how strong and powerful he may be, will not take the solution to your problems, will not take responsibility for your managerial mistakes, because then he will actually have to work for you. Of course, patronage has its advantages. But there are also disadvantages, the main of which is dependence. No one is completely independent, you say. This is true, but only if we depend on other people exactly as much as they depend on us. People need each other. But our whole life cannot depend on one person. Sometimes it may seem to us that our life is unthinkable without someone, but this is not so. Life still goes on, goes forward and it doesn’t matter if this person is with you or not. If you are an independent, whole, capable person, striving for self-expression, then failures, problems, even the loss of a "patron" will not be fatal. As for the feeling of obligation for what is done for us, one important circumstance should be remembered here: if you want to help someone, do it without expecting anything in return. The very feeling of satisfaction that you did what you wanted to do will be the best reward. If this becomes your basic rule, then you yourself may not consider yourself indebted to others under such circumstances. The feeling of gratitude is a very important feeling, which I think human culture begins with, but there is a huge distance between the feeling of gratitude and the feeling of dependence.

9. A person's behavior in the present is determined by what influenced him in the past. The influence of the past cannot be overcome.

Despite its absurdity, this delusion has become a stable stereotype of consciousness, a kind of "evidence" that does not need to be confirmed. And, nevertheless, the surrounding life shows us numerous examples that it is possible to change even what was formed in childhood. After all, the purpose of man and the purpose of life --personal growth and development. Man never ceases to change both physiologically and psychologically. For example, you are not at all the same as you were ten years ago, and your living conditions have also changed. Creative people learn from past experience and are never overly attached to it. Indeed, what was appropriate and even necessary in the past may be completely unsuitable in the present. Man is a being capable of changing himself, his views, his worldview, his life and changing radically. It is very important to be able to overcome in yourself Negative influence some circumstances of the past, you need to build yourself. However, at any period of life a person can begin to build himself anew.

10. What others do is very important to us. Therefore, every effort must be made to change them in the right direction.

There is no doubt that the education of subordinates is one of the tasks and functions of a leader. However, this problem can be approached in different ways. It is better to proceed from the fact that the life and behavior of other people is their own business. We cannot influence them and change them in any significant way. And if this happens, it requires a huge amount of time and effort. Is it worth it for the manager to spend such precious time on this? In addition, any attempt to influence the behavior or lifestyle of employees causes opposition and only worsens the situation. It is much more useful and effective in relations with people to proceed from the principle of tolerance: "I am me, you are you, I live my life, you live yours, let's let each other live our lives." In addition, it should be remembered that very often we, in trying to understand the behavior of other people, impose motives and aspirations on them that they do not really have. In short, very often the person whose behavior you are evaluating does not mean anything that you make up.

As for help (both in life and at work), it should be assumed that if someone asks for a dump, it must be provided. But we have no right to impose our help on someone who does not need it. In dealing with people, it is important to understand that people have flaws that you have to put up with.

11. Each problem has a unique correct solution. It must be found - this is the main task.

In fact, the vast majority of problems have many solutions (more than two), so there is rarely one absolutely correct solution. Each of the possible solutions has its advantages and disadvantages. Some decision has strategic advantages and tactical disadvantages and vice versa. We can only choose one of the alternatives and act.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again: the blocking attitudes of consciousness make it difficult to clearly and accurately assess situations, and therefore effectively manage. Work on overcoming the stereotypes of consciousness is not a matter of one day. But getting rid of false ideas, a person should receive something in return. And in return, I would like to offer you several positions for consideration, which, following L.P. Grimak and R.L. I will call Krichevsky the principles of a wise attitude to the profession.

These principles are formulated by researchers in the field of management psychology - theorists and practitioners. The main thing in them is that they are quite realizable in everyday life.

1. Be able to distinguish the main from the secondary.

This rather clear principle can be realized both in relation to business and in interaction with people. Firstly, it orients us towards finding some main, dominant line of life or life goal, warns against chasing many momentary random goals. Very often, it is in the desire to achieve them that the whole life passes imperceptibly. "Strive for the highest of the goals available to you and do not enter into a fight over trifles," G. Selye said. Secondly, this principle can and should be used when building relationships with other people. It often happens that behind some external minor details (especially those that we don’t like and annoy us), we miss the main thing in a person. And most importantly, i.e. what is worthy in him, which is really his essence and decisively determines his actions, is always there. It is necessary to have a kind of “inner look”, “eyes of the heart”, in order to avoid the mistake when our assessment of someone else is based on something secondary to him, caused by some momentary impulse and striking. Developing in oneself such an "internal mind's eye" (remember the principle of inconclusive evaluation!) is not an easy task. But it is possible to work it out - here it is important not to succumb to the desire and temptation to take the visible, the obvious for the essential, which is not always evident.

2. Know the measure of impact on events.

This principle, like the previous one, can be considered from two points of view. First, he encourages us to be realistic in assessing our own capabilities. "Whatever life situation you are faced with, first think about whether it is worth fighting" (G. Selye). On the other hand, it should be remembered that underestimation of one's own capabilities according to the principle: "I am a small person, it does not depend on me" often blocks the really available opportunities to act. If you decide to fight and it's worth it, then before you say that something does not depend on you, do everything that depends on you. Very often this decides the outcome of the case, although, I repeat, action is not always better than inaction. However, it is not for nothing that they say that strong man doubts before making a decision, and the weak - after.

3. The ability to approach the problem from different angles.

In many cases, the same event, phenomenon or problem acquires different meanings depending on the position from which they are judged and evaluated. For example, a failure in life is perceived by some as a catastrophe, collapse, by others as a temporary phenomenon, as a necessary respite for a new struggle, for new victories. Or, for example, barriers to creating a vertical career are perceived by many as a loss of perspective, but this is not so. After all, there is also the so-called "horizontal career", i.e. the growth of the manager's professional skills, and if there is skill, then the position will follow. So one-sidedness in assessments and positions is harmful. A person can always and under all circumstances, therefore, be able to look at many things, problems, realistically assessing the various sides and aspects of the subject of his thoughts. And this does not mean the loss of one's own position. Any position of the individual only benefits from a comprehensive analysis of what constitutes its basis.

4. Readiness for any unexpected events.

Unexpected, often very unpleasant, events occur from time to time. Nobody is immune from surprises. However, the paradox lies in the fact that these completely natural events remain unpredictable, and sometimes they cannot be predicted or foreseen. And therefore, as long as they do not unbalance a person, one should be prepared for them. We can also say this: we do not know what fate is preparing for us, but we must be prepared for the vicissitudes of fate. By setting ourselves up for possible and, moreover, for unforeseen turns of events, we thereby show flexibility, realism in our approach to reality, get rid of unambiguous, one-sided judgments, illusions, and sometimes prepare for unpleasant news. D. Carnegie said the following about this: "Instead of worrying about ingratitude, be prepared for it." To paraphrase this statement, you can say: "Instead of being upset because of failure - be prepared for them."

5. The ability to extract positive experience from everything that happens.

They say that they learn from mistakes. This is true, but only in part. According to the observations of researchers, many managers do not learn from their own mistakes at all, placing all the blame for the past on fate. The ideal option for a professional manager is to analyze the mistakes of others, but this is only an ideal option. Of course, negative experiences are a good teacher. A "weak" manager gets frustrated by a mistake, a "strong" one learns. However, there is another side of the coin, namely the positive experience. A “weak manager” rejoices at success, a strong one, in addition to joy, also analyzes the conditions, circumstances, actions that led him to success. Life is a good teacher, it teaches us lessons and it depends on us whether we become good students.

Summarizing the principles of a wise attitude to life and profession presented above, we can say the following: life experiences a pass and some break down, others harden in these trials, making the most of "gifts of fate" and learning from mistakes. No matter what happens, no matter how the circumstances develop, we should remember that it is not the circumstances that should control us, but we should control the circumstances. A modern manager is a person who not only reacts to some external events that affect him, he actively influences these events, actualizing himself, his ability to manage himself and other people in any situation.

Self-actualization is exactly what makes up the core, the basis of any action of a professional manager. I think that modern management, its human dimension, is impossible without self-actualizing people. Therefore, at the end of the lecture, I would like to dwell on brief description the main features of self-actualization so that you can see your own weaknesses and start working on eliminating them.

So, self-actualization is the full use and realization of the abilities of the individual, his talent and creativity. Self-actualizing personalities fully realize everything they are capable of, they develop to a level that is fully adequate to their capabilities. Is it possible? Of course, there is no limit to development. Self-actualization is not a result, but a process.

So, here is a list of the most important traits of self-actualizing people.

1. Effective perception of reality and correct relationship with it.

Pay attention - A. Maslow does not speak about the correct or incorrect perception of reality, but about the effective one. Why? Because the perception of reality is always subjective and in this sense is always wrong, not accurate, not complete. This irregularity, inaccuracy cannot be overcome, but effective perception there is such a perception that allows in any situation to see the possibility of changing it or the possibility of managing it. What is an effective relationship with reality? Here is what A. Maslow writes: “It was found that self-actualizing personalities are much better than others in distinguishing fresh, concrete, immediate, individual in each life situation from the general, abstract, stereotypical. Therefore, they are able to live in the real world, and not in that artificial mass of concepts, abstractions, beliefs, stereotypes, which most people take for reality. That is why they are much more able to perceive the object itself, and not own desires, hopes, fears and anxieties about this object, phenomenon or event.

It is easy to see that the feature of self-actualization discussed here largely coincides with what we spoke about above when we considered the "blocking" stereotypes of consciousness.

Let us continue the analysis of this trait and turn again to A. Maslow. "Self-actualizing personalities are not afraid of the unknown, but accept it. Often the unknown is even more attractive to them than the known. They not only tolerate the indefinite, not constructive - they strive for it, they do not reject the unfamiliar, they do not run away from it when the general objective situation requires it, they can thrive in disordered, anarchic, chaotic, doubtful. Fluctuations of doubt, uncertainty, which for most seem a dangerous threat, for these people are a pleasantly stimulating challenge.

2. Acceptance of self, others and the world.

According to A. Maslow, many personal qualities can be understood as manifestations or derivatives of a single fundamental attitude to the world - the presence or absence of guilt, shame and anxiety. Many people in every manifestation are obsessed with these feelings, they constantly feel guilty, responsible for too many things, they experience anxiety for many unrelated situations. Self-actualizing people accept their own human nature, other people and the world as they are, with advantages and disadvantages. They accept the weaknesses and vices, evil and sin of human nature with the same feeling with which we accept the phenomena of nature. Nobody complains about the water because it is wet, and the sky because it is blue or grey. This, of course, does not mean that such people are indifferent to shortcomings or self-satisfied, self-satisfied. Not at all, they simply do not experience undue anxiety and anxiety about these shortcomings. "Because they are able to get along even with own shortcomings, in the end they are no longer perceived as shortcomings, but simply as neutral personality traits." - writes A. Maslow. What gives a person the ability to calmly, without anxiety and worry, accept themselves, others and the world? them from the need for defensive reactions, masks, postures, etc., that is, it helps to save oneself.Secondly, it eliminates many "artificial" behavioral clichés (cunning, hypocrisy, the desire to impress, etc.), debilitating Personality In this case, I always remember the phrase from Sting's song: "Be yourself - no matter what they say ..."

3. Spontaneity, simplicity and naturalness.

The behavior of self-actualizing people is characterized by simplicity and naturalness, lack of artificiality, the desire to produce an effect. This, however, does not mean that their behavior is unconventional (i.e. they do not follow existing rules and conventions). Knowing full well that their non-standard behavior can confuse or even shock other people and people may not understand or accept them, self-actualizing people, not wanting this and not trying to fight over trifles, go through the rituals of conventions with good humor and maximum grace. Conventionality, following the "rules of the game" is a garment that can be easily thrown off: a self-actualizing personality, yielding over trifles, will never allow itself to be forced to refuse to do what it considers important and basic. At such moments, its internal non-conventionality manifests itself as a result of their own conscious choice.

4. Problem centering.

This personality type is characterized by being focused on problems external to itself. In psychological terms; they are not ego-centered, but problem-centered. They, without presenting a problem for themselves and not very concerned about themselves, are oriented towards some external goal. They are accustomed to live in broad interests, and never get close enough to the trees that they do not hang the forest. Of course, this attitude to life has a lot of consequences - broad horizons visions of problems, the teaching to look beyond the little things without getting stuck on them - all this is of great personal and interpersonal significance, delivering wisdom and peace that make life easier not only for these people, but for all those who are associated with them. Among other features of self-actualizing people stand out:

Autonomy (independence of judgments and assessments from the opinions and "pressure" of others);

Directness of assessments;

Democracy:

Sense of humor.

These, in a nutshell, are the traits of self-actualizing personalities. These traits, for all their independence and autonomy, nevertheless, correlate well, correlate with much of what we discussed earlier, speaking about the personal qualities of the leader and the blocking attitudes of consciousness, as well as the principles of a creative, wise attitude to life. and professions. In conclusion, let's sum up some results.

So, the manager's work on himself, self-improvement, self-development is the most important task, work on which allows the manager to put all his creative potential into action, to use his abilities and abilities to the fullest. This work is carried out in the following areas:

Development of personal qualities that contribute to good governance;

development of professional (management) skills, improvement of the management activity itself in each of its components;

Development of communication skills and abilities. Now we can describe in more detail what the first component of the manager's work on himself includes, i.e. development of personal qualities.

This work involves:

1. "Expansion" of one's own consciousness by rejecting "blocking" stereotypes of consciousness, as the first necessary condition for personal growth.

2. Mastering the principles of a rational (wise) attitude to the profession and life and applying them in practice to the extent that they correspond to your personality type.

3. Development in oneself of the traits of a self-actualizing personality, because only such a personality is able to help reveal oneself to others and manage people, lead them to success and self-realization.