A Behavioral Approach to Humanistic Management

How to improve productivity while reducing negativity through the strategic application of science and compassion.

 

Management training that ALSO teaches how to stop bullying

For me - the how do you get the behavior you want out of your team skill set - is the same skill set as knowing how to get unwanted behavior from your team to stop. This just happens to be the same skill set you use to stop unwanted behavior or obnoxious behavior like bullying/harassment.

Knowing how to shut down bad behavior quickly and compassionately is an essential management skill just as much as how you reinforce and encourage the good behavior you want. 

Learning how to motivate and reinforce people by creating compassionate but compelling conditions to reinforce the behaviors you want is a powerful skill set to have. I consider this a basic life skill. Well - not basic - definitely advanced - but certainly people who know how to do this ethically and compassionately are way more effective managers than people who do it through abuse.

Management training that focuses on how to reinforce and reward the behaviors you want while eliminating the behaviors you don't - for effective management - is a step in the right direction. 

A "how to improve productivity while reducing negativity" management course would include the following information: 

1. The ideal
2. The reality
3. How behaviors are reinforced
4. How behaviors are eliminated
5. Being strategic about your interpersonal interactions (the role of compassion)
6. How to encourage positive interpersonal dynamics in the workplace
7. What to do when someone isn’t playing fair or being nice
8. Respectful Problem Solving
9. Resolving Conflicts – is it a conflict? Or something else?
10. Putting it all together

And that's exactly what you will find in my Applied Humanistic Leadership Certificate Program: https://humanistlearning.com/certificate-in-applied-humanistic-leadership/ 

And my Certified Humanistic Leadership Professional Program: https://humanistlearning.com/certified-humanistic-leadership-professional/

Poor Communication at Work

Poor communication is the root cause of so many problems. Which is a shame because it's a problem that is easily solved. How? By listening.

Listening is one of the most important interpersonal skills.

If you are being misunderstood – the problem is usually that you haven’t bothered to find out what the other person’s frame of reference is. Instead of getting frustrated, step back from your need to be heard, and start asking them questions. Finding out what the other person is thinking and responding too goes a long way and there is a reason Socrates encouraged the asking of questions.

The other thing to do is to let go of your ego. When we have a disagreement with someone we tend to view this as we are right and they are wrong and we ascribe a moral dimension to the conflict. It is imperative we win. When we let go of our ego we no longer need to be right.  It allows us to view the other person, not as an enemy, but as a coworker who simply has a different opinion. We can then start asking questions (to find out what they know that we don’t) so that we can hopefully solve the problem. A person who is focused on problem solving isn’t focused on being right. They are focused on learning what they need to learn to solve the problem. This shift in mindset solves most of our communication problems.

Regarding dealing with someone else who is a poor communicator. Again, ask questions. Seek clarification. Communication takes 2 people.  Don’t put the onus on the other person to improve so that you can understand them. Make an effort to understand them and you do that, by asking questions!!!! Without an ego!  Genuinely seek to find out what they know and why they think they way they do. Not so you can win an argument, but so that you can more effectively communicate with them by finding out from them, what they need from you to be understood.

I teach humanistic management and do offer online communication courses and courses in socratic jujitsu as well as programs for managers on how to communicate effectively as a manager.

See:

• Socratic Jujitsu - https://humanistlearning.com/socratic-jujitsu/ 
• The 7 Sins of Staff Management - https://humanistlearning.com/?p=2248
• Principles of Humanistic Management - https://humanistlearning.com/?p=2237
• Bridging the Generational Divide - https://humanistlearning.com/generationaldivide/ 

Sins of Staff Management

If you keep having trouble with employees, you may want to consider whether YOU are the problem.

Not everyone who is hired as a manager has the skill set necessary to be a good manager. Most aren’t trained. If they are promoted, it is assumed they know the company and the work that needs to be done well enough to manage other people doing it.  This isn’t necessarily the case.

Is Humanistic Leadership Communicative Leadership?

Communication as a leader is a huge part of humanistic leadership. But actually – humanistic leadership is so much more than that!

Humanistic leadership is about applying the philosophy of Humanism to the task of leadership. And Humanism isn’t just about recognizing our common humanity.  Here are 4 principles that guide a humanistic leader.

1) Compassionate communication – because – we are all humans – individuals with flaws and strengths.

2) Compassionate problem solving – when a human doesn’t perform right – understanding how to help them fix the problem rather than punishing them would be preferred and more effective because behavioral science is really clear that punishment makes things worse and is counter productive

3) Critical Thinking and reality based decision making so that what you are working on and why you are working on it a) make sense and b) will make a difference. Leading people to do stupid counter-productive things would not be considered humanistic leadership.

4) What and why you are leading people to do certain things is based on – not greed – but on how to make life better for everyone.

Resources to learn more:

If you are interested in learning more about humanistic leadership check out these resources:

First mine: 

1) Jen Hancock’s Handy Humanism Handbook – available free when you sign up for my mailing list: http://www.jen-hancock.com/handyhumanism/offer.html - this will get you familiar with the philosophy if you aren’t already.
2) Online program – Principles of Humanistic Management - https://humanistlearning.com/?p=2237 this is 45 minutes long and provides 7 inter-related principles about how Humanism the philosophy applies to the world of management and leadership.
3) 7 Sins of Staff Management – this is mostly about communication and responsibilities of a leader understanding that your team is made up of real humans – and you are human too - https://humanistlearning.com/?p=2248
4) Planning for Personal Success - https://humanistlearning.com/planforpersonalsuccess/ - this is about decision making in a reality based and strategic way –as well as understanding your motivation and helping you to uncover your ethics in the context of goal setting.

Other Resources:
1) Humanistic Management Network - http://humanisticmanagement.org/ is a global collection of academics helping to transform how business management is taught. They have SEVERAL books.
2) Speaking of books – here is a list of books I recommend - https://humanistlearning.com/shop/  Attuned Leadership is a good one to consider.