As the boss, you’re often removed from the day to day struggles employees face. Yes, you see them at the office every day, but your interactions with them are limited to the usual meetings, monthly coaching, follow-ups, short work-related conversations, and the occasional party or team building.

You’ve barely scratched the surface.

Most employees wouldn’t dare tell a boss about work problems, especially if they can cover it up. Even if they think their boss’s method of doing things is archaic, most employees will just do as they’re told. The urge to avoid a reprimand is far greater than the desire for innovation. What kind of leadership is that?

It’s universally accepted that the boss teaches his employees, but being boss doesn’t make you perfect.

From the Employee to his Boss: What You Don’t See from Your View at the Top

On Hiring the Wrong People

What if the person hired doesn’t have all the skills needed required for his role? Who do you blame when the new guy isn’t working well with your team?

Human resources? The headhunter? The new hire?

Probably. But in all likelihood, you’re partly at fault, too.

Let’s say you’re hiring another project manager for your construction firm.

The profile for the ideal project manager evolves as time goes on. New technologies are developed, more responsibilities are added to the job, and the market changes. So why are many companies still using the same job ad used last year?

Review the CURRENT tasks and qualifications for the position you’re hiring for. Don’t base it on job ads you used to hire existing employees.

“You’re not the BEST at Everything”

Every employee knows this, but no one dares tell his boss. The bosses know this, too. But rare is the boss brave enough to admit it. Sadly, this pattern often continues all the way up the food chain, sometimes up to the CEO.

Your employees want to contribute, but they don’t necessarily want to a leadership role. They just want to be acknowledged by the management.

Besides, admitting that one employee is better at you in a certain skill takes pressure off you. Now, there’s no reason to feel that you should do everything. You can delegate!

On Boring (and Useless) Employee Orientations

The onboarding process is the new hire’s first interaction with the company. But its purpose is not to make a good first impression. It’s there to help employees do their job well and adapt to a new working environment.

Whether he hits the ground running, or requires a month of constant supervision, all boils down to what happens that time.

So let me ask you, “Did you ever hear a new recruit complain about not knowing the company’s history?”

No.

Skip that orientation video.

Instead, focus your efforts on helping new employees with the following:

• The tools they need to do the job and how to use them
• List of people they can to talk to if they run into a problem
• The team’s current projects
• His current responsibilities

More importantly, review the onboarding process every 6 months by asking past and recent hires the following questions:

• Is there something you wish we taught you during your first week?
• How long did it take you to feel comfortable in your current role?
• What challenges or frustrations did you encounter in your first month with us?

Criticizing Employees for their Mistakes Leads to More Problems

Karen, a purchasing manager and previous client of mine, used to work with a tyrant boss who often criticized her during team meetings.

According to her, this manager would often say things like,

“Do I always have to do everything on my own?”

“Why didn’t the order arrive? What did you do this time?”

This is demoralizing, not just for Karen but her teammates as well. So naturally, instead of bringing problems to their boss’s attention, they tried to cover it up. Problems didn’t surface until it was too late. Her team mates kept blaming each other.

Leadership created through fear is just poor employee management.

Instead of criticizing employees into faux submission, encourage them to bring problems to your attention. They already know they’ve made a mistake, so don’t rub it in! Ask questions about how they plan to solve it instead.

Your Take

• Look back, was there ever a time when a disagreement with an employee taught you a lesson?
• You might be the boss but you report to someone too, right? What will happen when you submit a problem to his/her attention? Are you free to disagree with your boss?

Share your views in the comments.

© 2015 Incedo Group, LLC