In today's business climate, growth is essential to survival. So the last thing any company needs is a manager who stifles growth. And yet, all too many managers smother the ideas, challenges and self-analysis that feed growth. Managers who do this on purpose are beyond redemption. But stifling behavior is often the product of innocent motives and botched interpersonal relations.

Are you one of the managers who engages in such behavior? Here's a four-part test to help you spot-and thus avoid-the common interpersonal mistakes that stifle growth.

1. Do You Kill Ideas Before You Understand Them?

Ideas are the seed of growth. Some of the best ideas come from the lower echelons of the company. A big part of the manager's job is to receive and process these ideas, filter out the bad ones and pass along the good ones. Unfortunately, not all managers do this effectively. The most common mistake is to kill an idea without first making the attempt to understand it. Although the idea might sound silly, it might simply be poorly expressed. There might be a viable vision at its core. Managers should try to get at this core before pooh-poohing the idea.

If you want to foster growth, you need to open yourself up to new thinking and be patient with how ideas are expressed. If an idea strikes you as illogical or nonsensical, ask yourself this question: "Why would a rational person propose such an idea?" Remember that these are the people you work with - the people you probably hired and whose opinions you trust. So give them the benefit of the doubt before writing off what they have to say.

Ultimately, you might still conclude that the idea is wrong or even silly. That's fine-as long as you arrive at this conclusion through listening and probing rather than through jumping.

2. Do You Force Your Own Ideas on Others?

One of the worst offenses managers can commit is to be too adamant about their own ideas. Enthusiasm and self-confidence are laudable qualities. But when you're in a position of power, these qualities can come across to subordinates as intimidating. That's a big problem because even the best ideas need to be challenged. So if your subordinates are too cowed to question or test your ideas, you lose the chance to improve good ideas and screen out bad ones before taking them to the next level of the company.

How can you present ideas with enthusiasm and conviction but without deterring response from others? Be open to the fact that your idea may be incomplete or even wrong. Make it safe for others to express opposing views. Don't harangue. Stop after you've presented your initial idea, ask for feedback and then listen.

3. Do You Pay Excessive Attention to Pet Projects?

Another common mistake managers make is to allocate too much of their time to a project that they care deeply about but that doesn't really fit into the company's key strategies and that isn't widely supported by others in the company. Stubborn advocacy of an unrealistic idea creates a strategic blind spot that leads to fractured focus and limited growth.

To avoid this pitfall, don't try to muscle through ideas. Build support for them instead. Getting an idea adopted requires teamwork and energy. If you can't build teamwork and inspire energy for the idea, don't push it.

4. Do You Make Decisions Without Involving the Right People?

Knowing when and how to involve people in decision-making is the hallmark of good leadership. The first step is to recognize your options. Managers can lead their subordinates in one of two ways: they can issue commands or consult with those who have to implement the mandate. The latter involves asking for ideas, taking all views into consideration and then making the final decision. A variation on this theme is to reach decision via consensus.

I'm not here to tell you which decision-making model to use. What I am here to tell you is that you need to be aware of the options and select the one that makes the most sense in your circumstance. For example, don't insist on consensus building when nobody cares about the decision or there are too many people involved to reach a consensus. Conversely, don't make a command decision when everyone is affected, has a valid opinion and wants a say.

Conclusion

Remember that your company is counting on you, as a manager, to get the most from your people. That includes not just the ideas your subordinates may have but their reaction and tempering influence to your own ideas. The four mistakes I've just discussed undermine managers' capacity to get the best from their people and thereby stunt the company's growth and the manager's own career success. Be attuned to these mistakes and you probably won't make them yourself.

Wishing you career success!
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet
www.execunet.com

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