Today, I spoke to Malcolm Munro, who is an experienced speaker, consultant, coach, and author of The New Rules of Engagement: How to Keep Your Superstars Loyal to You. In this interview, Malcolm talks about soft skills versus hard skills, what you should do if you have a poor manager, and more.
What’s more important, having soft or hard skills at work?
You need both. If you’re technically savvy and yet can’t get along with anyone, you’re fair game for layoff. If you’ve got a great personality and people like you but you can’t add value to the bottom line, you’re also fair game for a layoff!
What should you do if you have a poor manager? Do you quit or stick it out for a year?
Quit. If your manager doesn’t have the will or the pressure from their boss to change, they won’t. I work full time coaching and training managers and nothing I do works unless the person realizes they need to change and makes that commitment. It’s very rare unfortunately for a manager to change behaviors, particularly if those behaviors got them their current job.
Are HR people really on the side of employees or the company? Should you ever complain about your boss to them?
That all depends on the company. I’ve seen HR people who perform in the role as an advocate for the employees and the keeper of the policies. I’ve also seen them barricade themselves in their department and do nothing more than defend their policies. Unfortunately, HR departments, if dysfunctional, create a huge rift between employees and managers.
Is company loyalty dead? Why or why not?
Yes. Companies will be loyal so long as an employee is adding value. Employees are only loyal to the point that their needs are satisfied. Sad reality but true.
How have you built your personal brand? What life lessons have you learned?
I’ve built my brand as a management development expert because of my trying experiences working with bad managers in the military and in my early corporate years before starting my business. My passion is to create the next great generation of managers. The brand is built on that and my focus in blogging, coaching, speaking, training, and writing is dedicated to that. Life lessons are learned on a daily basis but the ones that stand out are the power of networking and the benefit of consistent reading and studying on the subject.
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Malcolm Munro is an experienced speaker, consultant, and coach who has worked with hundreds of executives, managers, employees, and students in various levels and stages of career development. He is the author of The New Rules of Engagement: How to Keep Your Superstars Loyal to You. Malcolm is an adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Strayer University in Newington, VA and has held similar positions at Vincennes University in Bremerton, WA and Crichton College in Memphis, TN. He is also a United States Navy veteran who served 15 years on active duty before retiring in 1999 as part of the Temporary Early Retirement Authority.Malcolm’s clients include Pratt & Whitney, Pitney Bowes, The American Management Association, The Smithsonian Institution., The Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, and all 4 branches of the United States Military. He has been featured as a career expert on WFRE Radio, The Washington Post, and wrote a monthly column in Men’s Fitness Magazine.
