Handling Teams Is More About Being An Anchor Than A Manager

Posted: July 20, 2018

There come moments in our lives where we must put ourselves in someone else’s shoes to understand them. Or we must have the ability to help them out in the best way possible, even if it’s a deed as small as listening to someone’s problems.

She was the oldest in my team – a bubbly, jovial person who suddenly showed signs of sombreness after marriage. Her smile and endurance were her strength and I could see the graph dropping down in those difficult years. Life was tough and she had chosen to confine herself within that shell.

I remember, after her direct reporting Manager had an aggressively defensive encounter with her, her performance and attitude issues increased. He wanted me to speak with her and I agreed.

I saw her from outside the meeting room, all set with her claws and teeth to pounce on me the moment I talk to her about the escalations. I went near her, put my hand on her shoulder and said, “I want to hear you”. Tears rolled down her eyes and she burst out crying. She held my hand tightly indicating her immense pain. I waited till she was fine after which she shared her struggles regarding her health and other problems.

She requested for a little more time to manage things before she quit her job as she was unable to cope and had to choose. I ensured her my full support. I had nothing to say but I felt a deep satisfaction on hearing her. And I guess she had been waiting for someone to hear her out. Choosing to quit, she resigned after two weeks on a very happy note.

I learnt, handling teams is more about being an Anchor than being a Manager.

Image via Unsplash

First published at author’s blog

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