Have a heart, bosses

Managers need to develop their emotional skills as well as their professional know-how if they want to survive at the highest level, writes Margaret Coles.

Emotional resilience must be developed by all those who rise to senior levels, to enable them to make difficult decisions and feel comfortable in any situation.

Harriet Karsh, a psychologist, who spoke at the recent Women in Management con­ference, says of her program: “I help peo­ple to deal with difficult situations where they understand how they want the world to be and how they want to be in that world, and find an integrity between what they believe in and what they do. Leaders who lack integra­tion between a thought and deed lose the confidence of colleagues and subordinates.

If you understand what is happening inside you, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, you are facing a dilemma that needs some resolution. You might find a better way of doing what you must do, or you must find the courage to go against it. People who ignore it find it comes out in different ways – illness or breakdown. We help people to take responsibility for decisions they make and for the outcomes of their actions.”

Susan Young, managing director of a big company, first worked with Karsh two years ago. “I wanted to strengthen my team of directors. Harriet helped us to think about areas where there might be conflict. She also helped me to recruit a very strong management team. If you feel you have a strong team you can rely on, it gives you the courage to face things that are at the limits of your skills. We recognize the value of the individual, but also understand that we are a team with complementary skills,” says Young.

Phil Besley, a management consultant, now works with or­ganizations on team and personal development.

“The program helps people to understand them­selves, to have a sense of real purpose or value in what they do. It requires a deep understanding within leaders to admit (признать) that they’re as confused and sometimes as frightened and lost as ev­eryone else.

In the personal-development work I do for organizations, I ask people to say what they think and feel, so that they begin to create for themselves a climate where they can give each other support and feed-back. I try to develop a real connection between people, from the boss to the most junior person, so all can feel that they have a right to be heard. ” (abridged, 2000)

9.* Answer the questions:

1. What do managers need to survive at the highest level?

2. What do you know about Harriet Karsh and her psychological program?

3. What is the main purpose (цель) of this program?

4. What may happen to leaders who lack integra­tion between a thought and deed?

5. How did this program help Susan Young and Phil Besley?

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03