Many bosses love to just saunter up and start talking about job performance. Unsuspecting employees experience this as being pounced upon. You’ll know you are a pouncer if your employees seem to run for cover every time they see you coming their way!
You may believe this type of management style can be good for morale, but in truth it only alleviates your own boredom and maybe lessens your frustrations with the ongoing challenges of working with people and/or systems.
Employees will make mistakes. This is a truism. If they are not periodically making mistakes, they are not growing with the business. But if employees are making the same mistakes over and over, it’s time to review their performance and put them on a plan for improvement. Usually training is missing, or they are in the wrong job. No amount of finger-pointing or complaining will fix these problems without tactical and/or strategic intervention.
Don’t expect your employees to take the blame when you make an error. It’s up to you to apologize and work with your employee(s) to clean up issues. Learn to laugh at yourself. Have compassion for others. Take responsibility and be accountable to get a problem handled quickly. How you handle setbacks is an example that your employees will mimic.
Walk it out. Write it out. Talk it out. It can be lonely at the top. If you are someone who lets your frustration get the best of you, regardless of the reason, take time for yourself. Get enough exercise. Keep a very private journal (not at work). Hire a coach for confidential conversations that will reduce your stress level and stir up solutions. Simply talking out issues can help you resolve them quicker and improve your management style.
(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2010