in the former category is the employee’s relationship with their immediate supervi-
sor, according to Sprenger: “The relationship with the immediate supervisor is the
Achilles heel of satisfaction at work” (Sprenger 2003, p. 204). But managers, he
claims, only rarely seriously look for flaws in their own behavior. Nor do most
focus on their employees, but instead on their own image as a brilliant leader who
has everything under control.
Here, again, Sprenger tends to make all managers into villains, a view I can’t
subscribe to. However, what Sprenger says about relationships and about self-
reflection is interesting: “Managers are often completely blind to the consequences
of their behavior – they do not listen, they do not ask for any feedback, they are not
interested in their ‘blind spots’; they are quite reserved and try to maintain distance,
and they are in love with their own self-image of being big and tough.” This is a
flaw I myself have found countless times in my practice as a consultant and trainer.
It is the point of departure for the relational, systemic management approach I will
explain in Chap. 3.
Therefore for Sprenger leading primarily means avoiding demoralization. The
following behaviors of the executive are considered to be particularly discouraging
to employees:
The supervisor can do and always knows more than his or her employees.
Decisions are made top-down.
The boss badmouths staff behind their backs.
His or her criticism is loud, arrogant and personal rather than objective.
The boss shows a dynamic of dominant behavior, constantly interrupts the staff,
only allowing them to utter keywords before he or she takes over the talking.
The employees are overlooked, ignored, and quickly “handled.”
They receive insufficient, partial and delayed information, dealing only with the
bare essentials of their work.
The boss is horribly pedantic.
The boss does not trust his or her employees and lets them feel it through verbal and
nonverbal messages.
The employees have neither individual freedom nor choice.
According to Sprenger the question that every manager must face when they
notice that their employees are unmotivated or have even resigned internally is not
“What should I do?” but “What should I not do?” This is hard for many executives,
who see themselves as “doers” that are paid for their actions. But: “Sooner or later
we cannot avoid the insight that our current hyperactivity, the constant intervening
and manipulating, is just a bizarre variant of our paralyzed acceptance of many
employees’ inner resignation. I do not propose doingmore, but less” (Sprenger
2003, p. 218).
The manager should stop doing those things that hamper the motivation of their
employees and prevent the growth of natural relationships in their business life. In
other words: in the long run, each leader has the staff that he or she deserves.
Yet another aspect plays a major role for Sprenger when it comes to good
leadership: self-respect and human dignity should be at the center of attention.
2.3 The Relationship Between Leader and Led 89