5 Things Your Employees Wish You’d Stop Doing… and why they’re right
People talk. Co-workers talk more.
And if you’re in a management or leadership role, you can bet your employees are talking about you.
The question is: what are they saying?
As much as you’d like to think you’re killing it, chances are there are a few things you’re doing that your employees wish you would stop. And you can bet it’s a topic of hushed conversation around the water cooler.
Unfortunately, when you have employees talking about the negative it ends up creating an environment that hurts the team as a whole. And the last thing you want is a toxic team that stifles employee engagement and brews discontent.
It would be great if it was easily remedied by simply bringing in donuts on Friday or making a Starbucks run for the team. But it’s not always that easy.
You might think it’s something with your team that needs to change…
But, most of the time, it starts with you. To be an effective leader, you have to know yourself to lead yourself…
Then you can lead others.
Maybe you think this doesn’t apply to you. You’ve been in management and you’ve got this down… but honestly, this is a good reminder for anyone. Whether you’ve been at this for years or it’s your first time in a leadership position. Everyone can learn something new.
So, let’s dive right on in. Here are 5 things your employees wish you would stop doing, and why they aren’t wrong.
You’re micromanaging their every move
No one ever said, “I had this great boss! They hovered over my shoulder, wouldn’t let me do anything on my own, and basically sucked all the oxygen out of every room they entered!”
But, if you ask an employee to describe a micromanaging boss, it will be pretty close to that.
One of the greatest qualities a leader has is the ability to inspire others and help them grow. Micromanaging someone’s every move usually does the opposite.
Instead, try using clear communication, express your expectations (remember, your employees aren’t mindreaders!), set a good example, and follow the Platinum Rule: treat others the way they want to be treated, not the way you want to be treated.
Your team doesn’t just need a good leader, they want one. But I can guarantee good leadership is not found through micromanaging.
You don’t understand their job
As an employee, one of the most frustrating things is when your boss makes decisions that completely change how you do your job on a daily basis – without even knowing how it affects your job!
As a manager, it’s not necessary to know your employee's jobs inside and out. But, you need to understand the basics of what they do.
I worked in a department that merged with another. This meant their boss became ours. The problem was, she didn’t understand how our department functioned. Not even on the most basic level. And in the three years, she was our manager – she never learned.
This became problematic when she had to report on our department or was involved in procedural decisions that affected our daily operations. And, when there were customer issues escalated to her, she didn’t know our policies or even the basics of how to deal with the issue at hand.
As a leader, your job is to lead and support your people. So, if that means diving in and learning the basics of their job – you need to do it.
You don’t have their back
It’s been said people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.
And it’s true.
It isn’t about how good or bad a job is, it’s about who you work for. If the person you’re working for doesn’t have your back, doesn’t support you, or worse yet – makes you a scapegoat, well… it makes it that much easier to leave.
One of the fastest ways to kill employee engagement is to stop supporting your employees.
Support for your employees can come in many ways, such as:
Fighting for a raise or promotion they deserve
Getting them the training they need
Backing up what they’ve said to a client
Not using them as a scapegoat for your own mistakes
Following through when they bring you problems or suggestions
Be a champion for your team and they’ll do all they can to support you in return.
You don’t know your job
Remember the manager I talked about before? Well, after she took over our department it was clear she didn’t understand a key aspect of her job: how to be a manager.
Now, in all fairness, she was thrown into the manager role without any experience in management and went from overseeing three people in a department she developed to managing a team of 15 – with most of us in a department she knew nothing about.
And sometimes, that’s how it happens. You get thrown into something and you have to sink or swim.
In this case, she sank.
The problem was, she tried to pretend like she knew what she was doing – while we were frequently left to bail her out last minute.
As you can imagine, it was hard to respect her as our leader when we were, in essence, doing a large part of her job for her.
Do I think she could have been a good leader? Yes. But she wasn’t ready for the job, and she didn’t get the support she needed from her manager to be successful.
Know yourself to lead yourself
There’s a lot of talk about vulnerability these days. And while there are boundaries when it comes to how vulnerable you should be in the workplace (especially as a manager), honesty and transparency are qualities people respect in a good leader.
It’s okay if you don’t know everything, but you need to be honest and ask for help.
It’s okay if you make decisions people don’t like, but (if appropriate) share your thought process behind those decisions.
And last but not least, it’s okay if you make mistakes, but own up to them.
If you’re new in a management role, or if you’ve been in management or leadership for a long time, there is always something new to learn. I invite you to learn more about yourself by taking the 5 Voices Quiz. Find out your leadership style, and gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a leader.
If you’re ready to take that even further, our Altitude course is a management training course to help you build a strong foundation and give you the tools you need to use your unique strengths to be a successful leader.
Being a good leader is so much more than being a boss. The key is knowing yourself and leading yourself to become the best leader you can be.