Myth: Employees Are Intimidated by Direct Communication
Why should employees fear feedback on their performances? Who wouldn't want to know where they stand in their jobs? Granted, there are lots of folks who get overly anxious at the mere notion of constant communication and regular one-on-one meetings with their bosses.
But more times than not, this internal panic is rooted in a false reality of what they think will happen rather than in what actually happens. That is, feedback in practice is nothing to fear, but a positive deliverance that should be welcomed with open arms. Coaching and mentoring's managerial methods — its various tools and techniques — are the antithesis of scary. They are in fact reassuring — as reassuring as it gets in the workplace.
As a coach, you're continuously asked to build confidence in your employees. Let them know where they stand and what they need to do to better themselves as work entities and as human beings. The more confident your employees feel about their abilities, the more disposed they'll be to taking sensible risks and the less afraid they'll be in making mistakes.
This very direct, people-intensive approach to managing is worrisome only to those who are accustomed to working under the thumbs of dinosaur managers who dole out work assignments and then lock their office doors and throw away the keys. And the only time employees ever see these less than enlightened managers is when they've done something wrong or are about to get the old heave-ho.
The unadulterated truth is that the more employees know about their jobs and their future prospects, the more relaxed they feel and the more productive they are. Coaching and mentoring puts a premium on honesty and being up-front with employees at all times, rain or shine. This reality is nothing to be intimidated by. Quite the contrary.
