Dear Bad Vice,
How do I tell my employee to stop acting like a manager?
Sincerely,
Miss Managed
Dear Miss Managed,
Every manager comes across an employee who challenges the threshold of their position’s limitations. Unauthorized and unwanted portrayal of being a leader is hard to deal with. A lot of managers would prefer to ignore it, assuring themselves they still run the game; a good one will counter the problem. While the former is effective for short-term, visionaries tend to choose the later. While the impulse may rise to fire them depending on the behavior they have reached up to, it is not the best possible solution. It is only a matter of time until other co-workers are entangled in the cross-fire as well. How would one tackle it?
1. Set clear boundaries and expectations.
To just a regular employee, their expectations and boundaries need to be defined often more than once. To others, it needs to be quite often. Clearly, communicate the boundaries explaining the required protocol as a part of this company. This will throw out any excuses explaining unclear agreements. Following the setup, observe if the problem persists.
2. Listen
Depending on the situation if the problem is consistent have direct verbal contact. The primary reason is to understand why the misconduct is happening. It could be their nature or a mistake made due to undesired circumstances. Listening and understanding their side of the story is essential to handling the issue effectively. While their behavior may be valid or invalid, as a manager the responsibility is to keep the imposed regulations intact. No issue is worthy to be the sole reason to change your rules. Be assertive in defining their behavior regarding the company requirements. Let them know, the ball is always in the manager’s court.
3. Be courageous, respectfully.
If the issue is persistent, you need to be courageous and make some harsh decisions. Instinctively, humans are routed to follow a strong opinion. Thus, it is only a matter of time until co-workers’ team up. Harsh decisions will set a reference to other co-workers as well to stay within the line. Follow the regulations. Also, be respectful as a person with authority and always respect their rights as an employee.
4. Shut the door, don’t lock it.
Be friendly, not a friend. Act on a professional level and keep matters at your head and not the heart. Bringing emotions in the team can lead to a challenging situation as a manager. Thus, shut the door. Being friendly gives you the benefit of hearing the employees at their convenience and helps eliminate division among a team concerning management doesn’t care. On the other hand, it helps a manager make rational decisions given any undesired scenario plays out on the battlefield.
Management is hard. There is no one rule approach that can be considered the best. But being in those shoes, it is a manager’s duty to help the company maintain a productive environment. Undesired actions for the desired result can be faced often, but that is one of the responsibilities. It can not be overlooked. While a burn might leave a scar, it will help put out a fire. If let, a fire can take down an empire.
Sincerely,
Badvice
Disclaimer: If you are currently drunk, easily offended, or just not very bright, I would like to remind you that THIS IS SATIRE. Please do not follow my advice, or you could end up living life like me. And your mother does not want that for you.
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