Blogs and Articles from Third Way Forum Membrs
Oct 20, 2022
Discussion#3 What is professional nowadays? How much is too much personal matter sharing at work?
Blogs from The Third Way Working Group
- The purpose of the company leaders to listen to individual employees’ personal matters is to increase their motivation and engagement by strengthening the win-win relationship between the company and each individual employee. But only when they are eager to share about their personal matters.
- While some employees are open to talk about their personal matters, others may be unwilling to share. So the company leaders should never force the employees to talk about themselves but at least be open to listen to whatever they want to talk about especially in the 1:1 sessions.
- Depending of the nature of the talk, the manager should be able to handle the course of the dialogue properly. If the person is suffering from some serious mental issues or family problems etc, the manger should direct the person to see a professional counsellor.
- If the person is talking about some personal dream totally un-related to work, such as opening a café on a beach in the future, the manager should discuss if there are any transferable skills that are necessary to achieve that dream and that also can be used and developed in the current job. In this way, the manager can help the person to relate the dream to the work. It may improve the person’s motivation.
- However, in order to navigate the dialogue effectively, mangers need to have good coaching skills, starting with listening skills and questioning skills without being judgmental. Also, they need to be able to distinguish the different types of issues and guide the employees accordingly.
- The challenge is that still many Japanese managers have never been coached. They sometimes talk to their bosses and seniors for advice but there is a hierarchical nature in their relationship. Still many Japanese have never experienced real coaching. They have been only taught. So before providing coaching to employees, the managers themselves should be coached first.
- Companies should invest more in manager’s trainings and especially in coaching them to be good coaches. If managers are well-trained coaches, their employees come to their managers, share with them their personal issues as well as dreams willingly. As the managers can guide their employees properly, employees can solve their personal issues and get closer to their dreams. Making line managers great coaches seems to be one of the silver bullets to improve employee’s motivation and engagement.
- While some employees are open to talk about their personal matters, others may be unwilling to share. So the company leaders should never force the employees to talk about themselves but at least be open to listen to whatever they want to talk about especially in the 1:1 sessions.
- Depending of the nature of the talk, the manager should be able to handle the course of the dialogue properly. If the person is suffering from some serious mental issues or family problems etc, the manger should direct the person to see a professional counsellor.
- If the person is talking about some personal dream totally un-related to work, such as opening a café on a beach in the future, the manager should discuss if there are any transferable skills that are necessary to achieve that dream and that also can be used and developed in the current job. In this way, the manager can help the person to relate the dream to the work. It may improve the person’s motivation.
- However, in order to navigate the dialogue effectively, mangers need to have good coaching skills, starting with listening skills and questioning skills without being judgmental. Also, they need to be able to distinguish the different types of issues and guide the employees accordingly.
- The challenge is that still many Japanese managers have never been coached. They sometimes talk to their bosses and seniors for advice but there is a hierarchical nature in their relationship. Still many Japanese have never experienced real coaching. They have been only taught. So before providing coaching to employees, the managers themselves should be coached first.
- Companies should invest more in manager’s trainings and especially in coaching them to be good coaches. If managers are well-trained coaches, their employees come to their managers, share with them their personal issues as well as dreams willingly. As the managers can guide their employees properly, employees can solve their personal issues and get closer to their dreams. Making line managers great coaches seems to be one of the silver bullets to improve employee’s motivation and engagement.
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