Nearly every work of fiction involving a workplace depicts a boss with his or her favourite ‘yes-man', the one who seconds the boss' opinion with unquestioning faith. But does this stereotype hold true?
While no one can dispute the existence of "yes-men", industry experts are unanimous in their opinion that these individuals have no place in a professional organisation. "It is not true that every boss needs a yes-man in his/her life. The boss should be able to inspire enough confidence among team-members for them to be able to speak their mind, even if their thoughts are not in line with what the boss is saying. Further, they should be given the opportunity to reason with the boss and share their point of view," says Sudhanshu Pandit, director HR Symantec. Jay Singh, co-founder and executive director, JSM Corporations Pvt Ltd agrees, "In yesteryear's, the idea of having a yes-man used to work, whereas today, almost all employees have the ability to voice their own opinions."
The primary concern seems to be that the presence of a yes-man might inhibit other employees from expressing opposing viewpoints. However, what when an employee's thoughts are genuinely in consonance with his or her superior's way of working? Could an employee with a cooperative and an agreeable attitude be mistaken for a yes-man? "Yes, I do agree that such an employee can at times be mistaken for a yes-man by the other team members in the organisation. This is basically human nature to view things from one's own perspective and draw personal conclusions," opines Narinder Anand, MD, Valueline.
While constructive conflict can be highly productive, every team needs members who can calm the situation and see everyone's viewpoint. "Any employee who has an attitude, which is both cooperative and agreeable, cannot be mistaken for a yes-man. Employees are free to be cooperative and present their opinions on a particular subject. It's not necessary if they will agree to each and every thing as they are working towards the best interest of their company. I personally admire people who have a different outlook and think differently with valid reasons justifying their thinking," says Singh.
Debasis Chatterji, CEO, Netxcell Limited presents a different perspective altogether. Chatterji believes that every boss has his/her "right hand", who is often dismissed as a yes-man by one's co-workers. He elaborates, "With growing work pressure and cut-throat competition, it is becoming continuously difficult for the boss to look into minute details of each function. Therefore, he/she has no other choice but to depend on a few members to avoid going through each process or document in detail, thus getting more time and resources to concentrate on the core activities. On the whole, every leader worth its salt has a core few persons with absolute faith to make their work-life more effective. However, for other team members, such people who have the boss' confidence are perceived as yes-men."
Sometimes bosses don't realise that they have a yes-man under them and simply revel in the confidence that this employee seems to consistently place on them. "A boss who is very pleased with his/her yes-man will create an environment that does not breed competition/change. Team members shall grow to realise that they need to ‘fall in line' with the boss so as to earn recognition," affirms TN Shekar, CEO, LIVIA Legal.
In a nutshell, irksome but constructive criticism is any day more beneficial than meaningless agreement, right?
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