Most employees have great potential, but sometimes excuses get in the way. As an owner, supervisor, manager or team leader it’s very important to address these insecurities and challenge your staff to tackle projects head on.
Some redirection can help put an employee back on the right path. I am even guilty of a few of these from time to time!
o It’s not possible
Some employees give up when they hit a point that they cannot get past. Positive reinforcement and some brainstorming will help kick start their determination again.
o I need more training
When an employee feels like they are not trained properly, the result can be disastrous. All leaders should make an effort to effectively train their employees and have programs that ensure this.
o You didn’t give me enough direction
The best employees take initiative and the best leaders don’t hold employees’ hands. However there are times when more information is needed to complete a task, make sure you know the difference between the two.
o It’s not my fault
Do what you can to encourage them to get the work completed. Bottom line: The best employees simply get the job done, occasionally you may need to step in if this really is the case.
o It’s a common mistake
In some cases employees think that making mistakes like typos, grammatical errors, and email errors are okay because they’re so common. It pays to double-check your work and make sure it rarely needs correcting. It puts you a step above the rest!
o I need your help
Employees can build off their leader’s connections and establish their own networks. One of the best feelings for a leader is to see an employee form additional relationships that can help the company. Help them help themselves, a simple idea instead of doing the project yourself might be the solution.
o My clients are unreasonable
Good customer service is hard to come by these days, unfortunately! But an unreasonable client shouldn’t mean you can’t finish projects. We all know it can be difficult sometimes -so a little time to take a deep breath and regroup with your staff will help as well as letting them know that you know they can work through it.
It’s important to identify and figure out the best way to get your staff back in the right frame of mind. Sometimes it might just be a temporary lack in confidence which can easily be changed into a positive and productive learning situation! Challenging and supporting your staff members is one of the best ways to allow your employees to become great assets for your company. Help your company grow by addressing the situation and provide reinforcement, but watch out for red flags if simple criticism is ignored….there may be more to it than just the obvious.
*John Hall CEO of Digital Talent Agents
*llya Pozin, Columnist for ciplex, inc. and forbes.com