You joined this team couple of months back. You notice that your manager generally works very long hours on week-days and comes to work on certain week-ends too. You are concerned that you would not get good appraisal if you do not work similar hours.
Exercise:
- Would your concern be valid?
- Would you say that your manager’s family life is in doldrums? He is married and has two young children.
Suggested Solution:
My response is: Yes – it would be, if you are someone who does not believe in working long hours. Perceptions and concerns like – my appraisal will be impacted – are bound to set in, more so, if you have ambitions of growing into the role of your manager.
The next question is: ‘Should you succumb to this concern and let it rule you?’. This is where your philosophy comes into play. We talk about this in the blog: https://pm-powerconsulting.com/blog/five-beacons-leadership-journey/. To quote: “Great leaders have a personal philosophy that acts as a guidance system – helps them set their sails (- Jim Rohn); Personal philosophy helps to ensure that your behaviour is consistent with who you are.”
Q2: ‘Would you say that your manager’s family life is in doldrums? He is married and has two young children.’
Obviously, this is too much speculation, but I have seen people do it. My opinion on this: people do it to rationalize their own behavior. They do not want to work long hours but need to justify their behavior in the face of the Manager’s example. It is perfectly possible that the manager is doing it with the support of his family and to realize his professional goals.
Instead of speculating on your Manager’s family life, you need to ask yourself a different set of questions: ‘What kind of hours do I need to work to achieve my own professional goals at this stage? How would it affect my family? How long do I have to stretch? Have I discussed my professional ambitions with my family? Do I genuinely have their support? What is my vision for my family life? How do I support my spouse’s vision?’. Answers to these questions will help one introspect and take leadership.
