UTurn^TV

Last week I was working with a client in her office.  We needed some information from a member of her staff and it was fascinating watching the interaction between them.  As the manager (my client) was trying to extract the required information I noticed there was a real air of irritation in the way she was speaking.  Obviously the member of staff was very uncomfortable and after they left the room I asked what it was that had irritated the manager so much that she had to let it show?

She replied that she was really frustrated because she felt that she had explained this information request ‘a million times’ but still wasn’t getting the information in the way she wanted it.

I wonder how many managers and leaders feel and even show this sort of irritation with their teams?  Probably quite a lot if my work is anything to go by!

I think it’s really easy to avoid the overly emotional reactions people have at each other by following a few simple steps:

Training – Make sure your staff have the proper training to carry out their job effectively.  If someone has been in their job for a long time, don’t assume that they are still doing it correctly.  Check in on a regular basis to ensure everyone is doing what they should and make any appropriate corrections.

Delegation – Don’t be a control freak and have the attitude ‘if I don’t do it myself it won’t get done properly’.  Take the time to show, explain and support staff in delegated tasks.  Delegation doesn’t work effectively if you don’t take the time to ensure that your staff know exactly what they are doing and that they fully understand your expectations.

Discipline – Companies put a lot of time and effort into ensuring their disciplinary procedures are fair and appropriate for the organisation.  In my experience many managers spend a lot of time and negative energy avoiding using their disciplinary procedures for fear of creating a negative atmosphere or suffering the potential repercussions.  Leadership sometimes requires having conversations with others that will make them unhappy or uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.  Applying the rules consistently and fairly will ensure that everyone in your team is aware of boundaries, rules of operation and the potential consequences of deliberate failure to work to the appropriate standards.

Perspective – Work is not a social club.  It’s a place where we get paid to carry out tasks and activities that contribute to the success and profitability of an organisation.  It often surprises me how often managers spend energy on being worried about lots of issues that appear in the workplace which are not strictly work related.  Try shifting your perspective away from the personal and you will feel a great deal more in control.

If you work on all of the above you will begin to feel in control.  Once you are in control there will be no need to get annoyed and damage potentially brilliant working relationships.

Let me know how you get on.

Jules x

Posted in: Business Coaching,Management Training,Moments of Clarity,Motivation
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