The year 2020 was a crazy one for sure. No one (except the science industry) expected or was prepared for a worldwide pandemic. I had several concerning conversations with leaders and managers who run companies and have employees they are responsible for.

One concerning conversation was with a client who is one of three key leaders at a healthcare service company. The discussion was about an employee who according to this leader was making lots of mistakes and didn’t seem to review documents or emails before they were sent to their clients. I asked how he was managing her since everyone was working remotely and she was in a different state. Emails. That is how he was “trying” to manage her.

Another conversation with a different client revolved around the fact that a key individual managing a team was making excuses as to why she couldn’t get her job done, couldn’t get key positions filled on her team and just doing the minimum. During my conversation with the leader, I found out that not one time in the eight months has he (the leader) given this individual ANY feedback with regard to the manager, not meeting goals or completing work. One last thing, this leader has not documented any of these incidents. Enough said.

The two scenarios I laid out are unacceptable behavior from ANY leader.

Leaders you might be the problem if…

You manage your employees via email instead of spending time on the phone or a video call to clarify instructions

You don’t provide consistent feedback about the job the employee is doing and how they can improve their performance

You only connect with your team or employees when you think about it

You don’t spend time with your new hire to help them navigate the organization and understand the mechanics of the job they were hired to do

You let bad employee behavior go unchecked

You don’t meet with your employees on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to understand where they are in relation to monthly, quarterly or yearly goals

These are just a few ways leaders can improve managing employees. It’s not rocket science, but it does take time and effort. If your sales are lagging or employees aren’t getting work completed and your teams are not meeting goals, then perhaps you the leader are the problem.

We help organizations with employee challenges every day. We’ve been doing this type of work for twenty-five plus years – we know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two. Give us a shout, we’d love to help your business.