Over my career, I’ve had all different types of employees.
Some have been very independent while others need a great deal of attention to
perform. While everyone needs direction, not everyone needs a detailed to do
list. Understanding what your employee needs is key to both their and your
success. On the flip side, you need to understand what kind of employee your
boss wants you to be. What does s/he respond to- your independence or your
attentive behavior?
I prefer a team that is more independent than not. I
consider my leadership role as the conductor. I make sure the team all knows
where we are going, following the traffic signals and remove any potential
obstacles that get in their way. What
does that mean exactly? I can help an employee problem solve to a resolution
they might not have considered. Or if a team member is taking longer than
expected on a project because they don’t have all the information they need, I
can make a couple calls to uncover the missing data.
Where do I draw the line? Interpersonal conflict. I am not a
therapist, counselor or parent. I will not step in the middle of a conflict
between teammates. Each employee is responsible for their own relationships. I
once had an employee, Jack*, in a conflict with a coworker. He didn’t feel as
though Sally* respected him. Jack asked me to “tell Sally to respect me.” I
almost rolled my eyes. If you have gone to your boss and said something like
this, I want you to think about how immature that sounds. This
employee just told me he can’t earn a coworker’s respect and wasn’t up for
trying to fix the problem on his own. Admitting you don’t have a great
relationship is one thing, but wanting your boss to fix your problem is a whole
other issue. What would I have responded better to? “I don’t think Sally
respects me because she didn’t get me the project completed on time as I
requested. I feel like I have tried several things to build the relationship,
but nothing is working. What are your thoughts on how I can change the
situation?” This is something that would have worked with me. I could
brainstorm with the employee. Maybe share observations about his behavior that
could be creating the problem. My goal would be to give him the tools to solve
his problem on his own. Think about your boss, what message you are sharing and
consider his/her response before having the conversation. On the flip side, I
know many bosses who enjoy handling their team’s interpersonal problems.
How do you need to change your approach to match your boss’s
preferences? What is your style? How do you communicate your style with your
team?
*Names are changed to protect the privacy of employees
