Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Staff do not trust their senior managers

"The vast majority of HR professionals believe that their staff do not trust senior managers, according to a new poll that is only the latest to highlight the poor opinion most people have of the leadership of UK firms.

A poll on the HR Gateway website found that an overwhelming eight out of ten feel that employees do not believe what top management tells them about the future plans and direction of their firm.

Only 15 per cent of the poll of 270 respondents thought that that staff trusted their senior management." says Management Issues.com

Pete's Points

What a surprise and why stop at the UK?

The person who suggested this poll must have been a consultant wanting a fat fee for a friend or for his own company. The person agreeing to provide the money must have been a senior manager desperate to prove that the 360 degree feedback process he/she had just engaged in was WRONG!

When we lose sight of the fact that middle managers' jobs should be in MANAGING others and not being too busy to do their own jobs because they are doing work which used to be DONE by others, before there was some 'right sizing' or having to "do more with less", then we may have a chance of finding staff who trust their senior managers again.

It is all too often that we find that some people, at or near the top of the pecking order, preach one thing then do exactly the opposite. Leading by example? You bet and people are following in droves!

When there is congruence between what is said and what is done many people may start to believe and trust again.

Until then there is simply no hope of that happening!

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