Before you can understand others, you need to spend time walking in their shoes.
That saying is so common it may be regarded as trite and therefore worthy of ignoring. Too bad! The other day, I was reminded of the power of this statement when talking to a friend of mine, Tim Katanski, who is a teaching golf pro at Ann Arbor Golf & Outing in Michigan.
Like the good teacher he is, Tim works with the talents and aspirations — as well as the limitations — of amateur golfers. Such a perspective extends beyond the coaching world. Managers need to be in tune with the people they supervise.
Smart executives spend a good deal of time working to improve the performance of individual employees.These executives are working individually — in essence, coaching them for improvement.