When managing a business, a store, a team, or any collaboration of people, it is important to branch out to every member of your group. A leader who can connect with his or her followers will have better control, and rapport with them. They key to a well organized group is cooperation, and this can be achieved through communication. However, not all members of a team may communicate in the same way.
Different workers from different places of the world, in our modern era, have realized that Earth is a melting pot. A scientist from Russia may migrate to work in England. Or a farmer from Mexico may move north to tend field in the U.S. or Canada. This results in a multitude of workers who, while they still can output quality labor, are not as comfortable as they would be in their home country, with their home language. Having to learn a second language is difficult, but necessary in finding a home away from home, and can sometimes put people outside of their comfort zones. As a manager of a group, you ease the stress and the confusion of these workers by adapting to their needs.
This does not exactly mean you have to master a foreign language, however. The simple linguistic basics of a different language can help make some of your foreign employees feel a world more comfortable. Commending them in their native tongues can make a migrant worker feel like they really belong. However, if you have an employee who has been goofing off, not following directions, or causing trouble, let them know in their own language the mistake that has been made and what they can do to improve. This ensures that they understand as some errors can be costly for a business.
Whatever the situation, having other languages on hand to communicate with your employees can make a world of difference not only to them, but to your management plan. Using different dialects can greatly improve your range of workers, and how you handle them.
On the other hand, your employees are not the only ones who will benefit from your knowledge of different languages. If you are the manager of a business, you know that your business needs supplies. Usually, your supplier is someone of a similar culture to yours, who speaks your language, so you know what you’re getting, and for how much. However, if one was to learn a second language, he or she would connect his or herself to an entirely new world of distribution. Knowing a different language, a manager could contact different companies in different areas and countries, to secure the best available deal in terms of needed materials for their job. A bi, or multilingual manager could create contacts worldwide, which would make supply and demand markets much more profitable, as you would have a plethora of buyers and sellers to choose from.
If a manager were to advertise as language compatible, he or she may be able to attract a more diverse work staff, as they would feel more comfortable if you can speak their language.
Learning a second, or multiple languages, is a win win situation for your management, business and career. Not only does it help those in need, but it makes them feel better about their decision. As for the manager, you open yourself up to a broader market, with possibly more revenue. Learning a second language is beneficial to all and may be something to consider while you’re getting your masters in management.