Top Pet Peeves About Firm Management

Source: Partner Insights

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Dr. Rhonda Savage.

Employee complaints are sometimes unreasonable, but it's important to know what you can improve on as a leader. Here are eight common staff pet peeves and what you can do about them:

1. You come to work grumpy. Make a mental choice the moment you wake up in the morning to be a positive influence on your staff members.
2. You micromanage the staff. Delegate, follow up without micromanaging, and hold people accountable.
3. You are too “hands off” and don't hold employees accountable. While micromanaging may not be a sound management strategy, it's also possible to be too “hands off.” Most employees today thrive on independence, growth, and involvement. And yet they also thrive on feedback, accountability, and firm, fair leadership. Finding a balance is crucial.
4. You complain about the bad economy and lack of cash flow. Focus on being positive, cheerful and supportive. Your staff needs to know the facts, but do not harangue them daily that their job is in jeopardy. Let them know what the goals are and how important each and every one of them is to the success of the business.
5. You bring your personal life to work. We all have those days. We all have personal lives outside of our work. It can sometimes be difficult to separate the two, especially as a manager. But regardless of what is happening in your personal life, it's important to keep that separate from your professional life.
6. You don't deal with problematic employees. If you ignore the problem, it will build and you will lose the respect of the rest of your staff. Deal with issues early on before they get out of control. Staying involved in the day-to-day tasks of your staff members will help you stay on top of any problems or potential problems.
7. You are always out of the office. It's important that employees are able to count on you for assistance, guidance, and support. A manager who is always rescheduling appointments and is not available for staff members will quickly lose the respect of these people. If you need to be away a lot for personal reasons, try to schedule these appointments or meetings on the same day each week.
8. You overreact when approached with concerns or problems. It's important for staff to know they can come to you with problems and keep you updated on the business. You don't want to make them feel guilty for doing this; rather, you want to encourage this behavior.

For the complete article, read “The 8 Things Your Staff Hates About You.”

From Partner Insights, Aquila Global Advisors, LLC, January 11, 2011, www.aquilaadvisors.com.