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Communication Atmosphere Complaints Power Plays and Players Criticism

We are employed at a mid-size retail chain. We have a manager on site, and we are subjected to biweekly reviews by an area manager. We are a high-performing team and we always meet our goals. When the area manager visits, he sails in, rarely says hello, reviews invoices and such, and focuses on finding something wrong. The atmosphere is depressed and defensive when he's around. What do you call this form of management and how can we react in a more positive tone to his visits?



This form of management is called mismanagement. It can easily be found when an area manager rushes through a store, buries himself in paperwork, eagerly looks for mistakes, and totally ignores the staff. He may be an area manager, but his behaviors are not near the area of management.

In terms of your concerns about how to react in a more positive tone to his visits, the real issue is for him to demonstrate a more positive tone in these visits. You should discuss your concerns with your manager, and perhaps he or she could review the situation with the area manager.

You can also ask your manager if you could meet with the area manager yourselves. If he or she approves, the next time the area manager sails into your store and ignores you, several of you should say hello and tell him that you would like to meet with him. In such a meeting, let him know how proud you are of your store, and show him how the store and the numbers will look even better if he were to provide more opportunities for two-way communication.



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