5 Ways To Drive Employees Crazy
And How To Prevent Them
Most organizations run on a discourse promoting excellence, teamwork, ethics, professional development and all the “other good things.” The problem arises when leaders preach their version of the usual handbook but act contrary to it by modeling and rewarding the wrong behaviors either knowingly or unknowingly.
Incongruence, at all levels (i.e. strategic, tactical, operational), is counterproductive. And it becomes the most damaging when it makes its way into daily-work activities involving meetings, supervision, performance evaluation, performance feedback, weekly planning and the like. That is where a leader’s lack of congruence makes itself evident to all team members, thus creating an environment where people “start to go crazy.” With this image in mind, here are the main five ways to drive employees crazy and how to prevent them.
1. Demand One Thing And Reward Another. Successful people are able to deal with contradiction by doing what is necessary to resolve it or, at least, neutralize it. Yet, on an instinctive level, most people, successful or otherwise, get upset when someone promises one thing and delivers another. There is a basic feeling of anger and frustration when we feel fooled. That is what happens when executives and managers demand good performance from their collaborators while rewarding political maneuvering; or ask for excellence while indulging mediocrity. If you do not want to drive your employees crazy, make sure to reward the results and behaviors you publicly demand from them..
2. Delegate To Unprepared Employees And Blame Them For The Inevitable Failure. Delegation is a key element of business success. It allows experienced professionals to focus on higher-value initiatives while providing development opportunities for more junior personnel. However, this beautiful equation breaks down when there is no training involved. According to the 3E Development Model, professional development occurs as follows: 70% through Experience (on-the-job learning), 20% through Exposure (work relationships, visibility opportunities, etc.) and 10% through Education (courses, reading, etc.) For delegation to be fruitful, leaders must ensure their collaborators have had a reasonable rotation through the three E’s before entrusting them with new projects and responsibilities. One way to find out if potential delegates are ready to undertake a new task is to interview them as if they were applying for a new job. Just as a sound recruiting process requires that candidates be thoroughly interviewed, so requires entrusting employees with a new, challenging project. If you do not want to drive your employees crazy, make sure they are properly qualified to undertake new responsibilities by providing the professional development opportunities essential to that end.
3. Ask For Input After A Decision Has Already Been Made. One of the classic ways to boost employee engagement and motivation is by encouraging participation in important decisions. If mismanaged, participation can also become the source of great frustration. When employees are called to brainstorm, analyze problems, propose solutions and provide feedback, they expect their ideas to be formally taken into account. This does not mean that everyone’s ideas must be implemented, it just means that their dedication and work should not be in vain. Yet there are leaders who often hold meetings to discuss issues that have been previously decided upon only to comply with HR guidelines or check some box in an upcoming survey. Sooner than later, workers will start to criticize leadership for not listening and climate will start to deteriorate affecting performance accordingly. If you do not want to drive your employees crazy, listen to them; and when a decision has already been made, assume the responsibility thereof and do not mislead your team into believing there is room for discussion.
4. Expect Employees To Solve Systemic Problems Without Questioning The System. Some problems are impossible to solve unless some fundamental structures, rules or values are questioned, reassessed and changed. For instance, lack of investment in training always leads to deficient performance; abundance of red tape always leads to questionable allegiances; and lack of strategic clarity always leads to wasted resources. Yet some business executives expect collaborators to achieve peak performance while lacking preparation; follow protocol even though said protocol is designed for failure; or use resources efficiently when there is no clear purpose thereto. In all of these examples, there are key aspects of the system that must change before the sought objective can be attained. If you do not want to drive your employees crazy, do not give them a problem to solve with instructions on how not to solve it.
5. Obsess Over Profitability While Claiming That Not Everything Is About Money (Salary-wise). We all want to get paid, become solvent and, why not, get rich. Yet as we get older, most of us realize not everything is about money. However, the array of considerations at work do lean more toward money for everyone involved than in any other area of our lives. Therefore, having your boss make your life miserable about financial results while claiming not everything is about money when you ask for a raise is a powerful source of frustration. If you really want your employees to expand their interests and concerns when it comes to work, make sure to provide them with opportunities to fulfill other aspects of their lives on the company’s budget, like personal growth, professional development, community engagement, intramural activities, life coaching, flexible time, etc.
Source: forbes
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
Business management consultant.
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