Does getting yelled at increase your Effectiveness?

A while ago we had a guest at the Ashram whose story proved once more what many people already know: while it may be common practice in management circles to play tough, get angry and ‘show others who’s the boss’, some love, gentle guidance and positivity reaches the same result!

Our guest was in a management post of a big European supermarket chain. She was the staff manager for several supermarkets in one region. Her job was only partly in the office, for the rest of time she drove from one supermarket to the other, supervised the staff members there, checked whether everything was in order and corrected their mistakes, advising them on how to do their work better.

She liked her work but told us that she might leave her job and look for another company soon. Why, we asked, if you enjoy your work? The reason was her boss and her colleagues. They were trying to convince her that she was too soft with the supermarket employees. Instead of talking, she would need to shout. Instead of remaining calm, she would need to get angry and show it so that others would start working properly and the way she wanted them to. Only that would generate better profits.

She told us that she was sick of getting told to act like a bully and treat others like inferior people! And she was doing her job well, even while remaining polite and nice with others: she had better statistics! The figures of income proved that her way was better!

She did not, however, receive any appreciation for this fact.

Isn’t is sad that this still happens in today’s world? In spite of all the wisdom of the management world that tells employers, company owners and team leaders that it is better to work with people than against them! I am sure everyone has read, just as I have, that the productivity of a happy person is higher than that of a suppressed, unhappy one! That there should be a good working atmosphere in which employees can feel free to develop their creativity instead of feeling supervised and under pressure at all times. That respecting those who are working under you will earn you their respect.

So when all this information is out there and there are workshops, guides and more about this topic, why is the situation still as our guest described – and which I have heard from several other friends as well. Actually, this woman came from Europe but having been able to compare countries there with India, I have to say that in India the situation is even much worse. While in the west, people hopefully realize that it is not great behavior and feel guilty about it, bosses here in India truly believe that it is necessary to shout!

Is it a habit to work yourself into a temper in order to make others work? Is it the true opinion that it could help to continuously shout at someone? Or is it a reaction to the pressure from above, to the pressure of this time to make more and more money and make it fast?

Whatever it may be, I just would like to urge everyone who is reading this to reconsider his way of communicating with others, especially those who are supposed to listen to you and do what you say. Stand next to them instead of above them. Be with them instead of towering over them. Be firm but remain calm. Everything else will make them and you unhappy, increase the cases of depression and burnout and not bring you anything.