Re: New Manager Needs Help!

[Barry House <bhouse -at- CREATIVE-HOUSE -dot- COM>]

John Kohl wrote:

>
>The woman whom Pandora supervises probably can't help herself: she is
>not used to taking direction from someone regarding responsibilities
>that she feels perfectly capable of assuming herself.  (I found
>myself behaving passive-aggressively toward a supervisor once.  I didn't
>WANT to give the poor guy a hard time;  I just couldn't help myself!)
>
>Pandora obviously has a lot of respect for her employee, and I think
>that will go a long way toward helping her communicate with the employee
>in a positive, non-threatening way.  It will still be a difficult
>situation to resolve, but if they can treat each other with respect
>instead of turning the situation into a war, I think they might be able
>to work things out.
>
>


Pandora's direct report may not recognize what she's doing, but she can
help herself. I used to work for a company that sold management training
courses; one course involved role-playing situations just like this.

If I remember right, that course suggested a meeting with a specific
format. First, the manager says she has a problem and asks for the
employee's help. Then the manager describes, without emotion, the behaviors
she has seen. Next she asks for the employee's take on the situation--this
lets the employee vent. During this time, the manager can 'guide' the
discussions with questions and a lot of signals like, "Let me make sure I
understand; what you're saying is (manager restates employee's response)."

At the conclusion of this step, the manager asks the employee what they can
do to resolve the issue. The manager agrees or makes alternate suggestions.
Once the two are in agreement, the manager suggests specific action steps
and a time to meet again.

The beauty of this type of meeting is that it helps both people take
'ownership' of the problem and gives both a chance to express themselves.
It also helps the employee see how her behavior is being perceived. Done
well, it's non-threatening to the employee but gives a big signal that
something's amiss.

Of course, it's vital to document the session and send a follow-up memo. If
the other person has no interest in working things out (some of us with
redeeming, lovable qualities are also bull-headed), attempts to solve the
situation need to be documented.

Barry House
The Creative House--Helping Businesses Communicate
P.O. Box 523
Pittsfield, IL 62363
217-285-2900
217-285-2950 Fax
http://www.creative-house.com