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The Hard Work of Being a Soft Manager (HBR Classic) (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)

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William H. Peace is an UK-based independent management consultant. He was Director at Dictus Consulting when this article was originally published in 1991. This OnPoint version was published in the December 2001-issue of the Harvard Business Review.

In this article Peace discusses the soft manager. "In my vocabulary, soft management does not mean weak management." Soft management does not have to be a sign of indecision but can be one of common sense. It means that the manager accepts the wisdom and experience of subordinates in the form of criticism. The author believes that openness is a productive management technique. He builds this assumption on his tough experiences as general manager of Synthetic Fuels Division of Westinghouse, which involved laying off people and selling off the business. While discussing his experiences, he concludes that apart from the usual list of leadership skills, candor, sensitivity, and a certain willingness to suffer also belong on that list. "Being vulnerable to the give-and-take of ordinary emotional cross fire and intellectual disagreement makes us more human, credible, and open to change."

This Harvard Business Review Classic shows how soft management can still book good results. By using his own practical experiences, Peace shows that by listening to criticism of subordinates the manager can make better and more humane decisions. Please note that this article is not an 'How to Become Softer Manager'-course and the 'hard work' is your responsibility. Also recommended is HBR-article Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones (2000), 'Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?'. The author uses simple US-English.