I had just assumed a new position as Senior Manager for a Service Desk (“Help Desk”) for a major outsourcing firm. Between the existing workload and the new work that was flooding in, I felt like I was “meeting myself coming and going”.

Managing people requires that we take into consideration their differences. Some of those you lead will need lots of direction, while others would prefer you leave them alone. Some will want more monetary rewards, while others prefer recognition or challenging assignments. Customers are much the same way. Providing generic customer service will get you generic customer satisfaction.

What I had just witnessed is not uncommon in the workplace. Managers do a lot of telling. But they must do more than just simply tell. Here are the four mistakes Dave made. I am going to address him directly.

When I was a kid I use to ask my parents why I had to do “stupid” Algebra. The only answer I ever remember was “because.” “Because” I would ask. “Yes because,” was their reply. If my parents had instead said because it will help you become a better problem solver, improve your chess game, make you more intelligent and finally if you take enough of these algebra classes you may never have to take another one ever again I may have been catapulted into algebra delight. However, their response had the opposite effect.