Do you think it is true if a Supervisor or lead man pushes a broom ( to clean up) it is a sign of weakness and you will not be looked up to as an authority figure?
by 
Kitty
ANSWERS: 17
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I don't think so. It means that if everyone else is busy, they will get their hands dirty and work too, not just sit on their tail and tell people what to do. One of the best supervisors I ever had, would do just that. If everyone was busy, he would graba broom and sweep, or whatever else was necessary.
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Not at all. I actually would respect such a person less if he didn't do something like that. If it needs to be done and everybody else is busy doing their thing, he should run and do it. It's a team and nobody should be beneath anyone else. You lead best by example.
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Absolutely NOT! It shows he is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and work with his fellow employees. It shows strength!
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No. I think it shows that just because they have a supervisor title, that they don't think they are above doing regular employee work. Thats a great quality to have in a supervisor, and will get you more respect in the long run. If employees see the supervisor helping them out, then I think that will make them want to do better work.
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No. It shows they are doing their job and helping to keep things orderly. A sign of good managment. I'd respect them way more.
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Absolutely not..it is a sign of weakness not to jump in where needed..it shows that the supervisor is so insecure that he/she believes it is beneath that position to work alongside others..we all have had supervisors like that and we all know they are not good supervisors.:(
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No it is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of humility. The best way to lead is by example, and if a supervisor is willing to roll up his sleeves and help get the job done whatever the cost, his employees will see his example of leadership and join in the cause. Now, if he's doing this while his employees are sitting around sipping coffee and just watching him and its their job he's doing... I'd worry. A good supervisor would not do it for them, but do it with them.
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A good supervisor will not ask a subordinate to do something they would not do. I find it quite respectful.
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NO WAY! I think that is a great way to pitch in a help and get the others to do that same.
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While I tend to agree with the other answers that workers would respect a supervisor *more* if he/she pitched in with menial labor when necessary, this may be a cultural bias on our part. I wonder how this question would be answered by people in very hierarchy-conscious societies. For example, I read in a book about Volkswagen that employees in the 'company town' of Wolfsburg wouldn't let their children play with other VW employees' children, unless those employees were peers, not bosses or subordinates. It may be that in some cultures, a supervisor 'lowering' himself/herself to do the tasks normally done by subordinates would be a 'loss of face' and might actually lower the employees' respect for the supervisor. Does anyone have any empirical observations to match my supposition? . . .
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It shows that they are a team player, actually, and shows excellent leadership skills. You should know how to do the same job as your employees and be willing to jump in when needed. I don't respect my bosses when they delegate tasks rather than taking care of simple things themselves - when they do things like take out trash because they see their employees are busy, they get more respect from me.
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I would look up to him/her as someone who doesn't think it was beneath him/her to pick up that broom and does what is needed instead of asking someone else.
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No, a leader needs to delegate, but if there is too much work to delegate, the sign that the leader knows what they are doing to lead is showing that they know how to do every job and help if needed. I've seen leads that were put in place because they couldn't do the job and are useless windbags. I've seen leads that really worked their way up, and pitch in when needed. The latter gets my respect.
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A leader is willing to do what is takes to get the job done. If that means stepping back and letting others take the lead on something sometimes, then do it! If it means supporting your people somehow (even by pushing a broom) so that they can do what they need to do, you are going to be far better off and receive a lot more respect. My staff will do anything for me because they know that I will (and have) done everything I can for them. They are people, not just a position. :)
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It's always impressive to see a manager roll up his or her sleeves and pitch in where needed. In order to be looked up to as an authority figure, I think many things come into play. One must be confident, fair, firm, reasonable, experienced and above all, consistent.
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as an ex-supervisor for 40yrs, I worked alongside all my ppl...just because you're the boss doesnt mean you cant pitch in when needed....
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I think every supervisor show do it. If they don't know what it is like to push the broom, how can they tell you to do it right. The best managers I've seen, started at the bottom and worked their way to the top. Always lead by example. If the boss is willing to roll up his sleeves and get dirty, maybe he will respect you who do it on a regular basis.
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