Some of us search for that hardness that often eludes us. We desire to be hard, because we know that when we are hard it makes things better for us, easier. Being hard puts us in control and who doesn’t want control? Who wants to follow the pack and do what they’re told? Nobody!!! And that is specifically why many people choose to get hard or get outta here.
But what is hardness?
In a business management or leadership sense, it is being in control, making the decisions, and often taking all the credit when there are successes.
I love the idea of being hard, especially when using that definition.
Hard management could also be called authoritarian, or autocratic, leadership/management. The main goal of hard management is business success. As part of this, hard managers think of employees as resources for the business, rather than an asset to the business.
In autocratic/authoritarian leadership this is also the case. The employees are there to do what they are told, rather than to offer any input.
I don’t know about you, but that would be difficult for me, because sometimes I have great ideas that should be shared. A hard manager doesn’t care what I have to say. So, if I want to be heard, I will be disappointed and may even become disgruntled if I allow my disappointment to consume me. Yeah, this has happened before…
Some employees, however, really like the idea of a hard manager. They don’t want to have to make decisions. They want to be told what to do and how to do it. It takes all the guesswork out of their job. For some people this works really well, because they are there to do the work and nothing else.
So, how can a manager become hard?
Most managers do not need to learn how to be hard, because if they want to be in control and make all the decisions, then they already are. They know their opinions, words, knowledge, and experience are the most important things for the business and no one should question that.
But what if the manager is hard and the employees want to be able to give input and be heard?
That doesn’t work.
A situation like this could potentially lead to unhappy employees, reduced productivity, reduced motivation and efficiency, higher turnover, and reduced profits.
No one wants that!
So, what can you do?
You don’t have to change your management style. What you might have to do, though, is change the type of people you are hiring.
- Hire employees who are not innovative.
- Hire employees who are interested in only doing work and what they are told.
- Hire employees who are not forward thinkers.
- Hire employees who want to keep the status quo.
If that doesn’t sound very appealing, you could look at hiring in a different sense:
- Hire a manager interested in employee innovative thinking.
- Hire a manager that will want to conduct one-on-one meetings…who will want employee input.
And have this manager deal directly with employees, while you sit back, make decisions, and reap the benefits of success.
The goal here isn’t to stifle your business, but rather to have it run as smoothly as possible with your specific hard management style. If you want to find and retain good employees, but still use the hard management style, seek out those employees who will be happy with that style. It’s win-win.
