I’ve always said, when we become managers in many ways we enter into another world.

New peer group, new ways of relating to the business structure, and of course new responsibilities and new interpersonal relationships with those we have now come to manage.

And when we enter our new world of management there are some things we bring with us that can cause us a little trouble or sometimes a great deal of trouble.

Things that can be our own personal “managerial kryptonite”.

For many, it is the fear and perceived unpleasantness of disappointing people.

Disappointing someone can be a gut sinking feeling and brings with it all manner of personal baggage.

And as managers it’s simply something we have to deal with.

Everyone likes to be liked. No one wants to be the “one” who says no or sets limits.

Denying a vacation request, choosing an external candidate over an internal candidate for promotion, shifting schedules, instituting new standards and so on.

This becomes a problem when we stall out on decisions, procrastinate, avoid, or accommodate. We think thoughts like “If I could just find the right way to do this then no one will be disappointed”. Or “I just don’t want them to be disappointed.”

When we come to the world of management we need to challenge our thinking a bit.

We’re managers, disappointing people is going to happen.

It’s not something “bad” to avoid. It’s part of our job. It means we’re looking out for bigger things now than personal preference.

As a caring manager we can focus on making our communications clear, concise and honest. We can be dutiful, considerate, and decisive.

We can’t control nor are we somehow responsible for the emotions of our staff. Their emotions are their terrain. There is really no telling what benefits or detriments lie ahead from resulting emotions.

Acting from a clear vision of our role as a manager staff might be disappointed but we may just be on the pathway to earning their respect.