Management communication skills

• The reason they cannot change, or
• The excuse they use to avoid changing
   

When you listen to others, do you consciously distinguish between reasons and excuses? 

It is important that you do, because, as a manager you will need to have a different policy for each.
What would happen to the manager who does not distinguish between reasons and excuses? i.e. one who is willing to accept anything as a “reason”?  

Such a manager would be ineffective. They would be unable to sustain progress in another person.  

The other person would be able to conjure up any plausible but false excuse and evade the actions necessary for continued progress. 

So as a good manager, learn to distinguish between excuses and reasons and then act accordingly. 

Question. Who should decide for you what constitutes a reason and what is an excuse in any particular case?

Answer: You decide!
This takes a certain amount of courage, to listen to another’s story and say: “NO!”
Sometimes you have to say no, and ask the other to give you a reason not an excuse.

One manager once said to me
“Who am I to judge? I do not want to make that kind of judgement. What if I get it wrong?”

The answer was:
“Who are you to judge? You are the manager

You may not want to make that judgement, but it is part of your role.

You may get it wrong, so if in doubt, give the benefit of the doubt to the other person” 

What should be your policy for “reasons”?
Negotiate and give concessions.  

What should be your policy for “excuses” (non reasons)?
Do not negotiate and do not give concessions.

Distinguish between reasons and excuses and have a different policy for each