The New Manager and Candor
I’m a recent MBA who was just made a manager. I believe in using candor, but I’m afraid to, since most of my direct reports are twice my age.
You may feel squeamish using candor with people who look like your parents, but rest assured that “old people” hate jargon, ambiguity, and double-talk just as much as you do. Having suffered through it at work for decades, they will most likely applaud your efforts to be straight, after the shock wears off.
Shock, because there will be a rough period of adjustment when you start talking directly and honestly about performance and results. Most people, no matter what their age, just aren’t accustomed to it.
Use it anyway. In the end, candor always works and makes work better. Once you dispense with mixed messages and phony performance reviews, a team never fails to become faster, more creative, and more energetic.
And frankly, candor is your job. In fact, as a manager, it’s your obligation to let the people who work for you know exactly where they stand. That’s how you build the best team—and win.
So don’t hold back. Some old folks might object at first, but the good ones have been waiting longer than you think for straight talk to arrive.
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on May 22, 2006.
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