Every now and then even the best teams have problems that need to be addressed. Sometimes good practice managers can start overthinking and lose focus. When both things happen at the same time, you can get into a cycle of complaining and blaming. That is a cycle that leads everyone in a circle. If it goes on long enough and builds up enough power, your small problem can develop into a tornado.
Complaining does no good. It's not productive and actually, venting increases stress rather than acting as a pressure release. When you vent, you stayed focused on the problem rather than identifying the solution. I can vent with the best of them and the thought of going ventless is a little daunting, I'll admit it. Complaining only gets you one thing, the reputation of being a complainer. Not something you'd want mentioned during your eulogy, so don't do it.
Blaming is a tempting refuge to an employee who is faced with a complaining manager. Pushing the responsibility off onto another seems like a good idea in a panicked moment, but that just adds another dimension to the problem. Rather than just having an aggravated manager to deal with, you'll soon have to face the wrath of the team member you snitched on.
So, here's the deal. If you have a recurring problem with the way a staff member or members are doing something, sit down with them and talk about it. State the problem and ask them how they intend to fix it. For instance, I have a very specific system for storing and ordering burs. Our assistant and roving assistant are responsible for changing the burs on the bur block once a week. I have them well organized in bins, or so I thought. I went to inventory them and was dismayed to see they were no longer organized and it seemed that we had way too many of one type of bur. This told me that the bur is not being changed regularly. I've talked to them about this before, but always informally. When I asked the assistant she immediately said the roving assistant must have done it. Since the roving assistant wasn't there, I didn't get an answer.
I vented to my boss who looked at me and said, I don't worry about those things, if I was willing to, I wouldn't need an office manager. Well, my job in danger antenna went up, and I asked his advice since I had already talked to them. He told me to sit down, state the problem and wait. Rather than feeling that I had to come up with a solution, I could see that I would be forcing them to take responsibility. Then, rather than be frustrated and feel that they don't care, I was giving them the opportunity to show me that they do. So, next time you have a problem with a staff member try sitting down, stating the problem and asking them, "What are you going to do about it?" Then sit back and be quiet.
Every now and then even the best teams have problems that need to be addressed. Sometimes good practice managers can start overthinking and lose focus. When both things happen at the same time, you can get into a cycle of complaining and blaming. That is a cycle that leads everyone in a circle. If it goes on long enough and builds up enough power, your small problem can develop into a tornado.
Complaining does no good. It's not productive and actually, venting increases stress rather than acting as a pressure release. When you vent, you stayed focused on the problem rather than identifying the solution. I can vent with the best of them and the thought of going ventless is a little daunting, I'll admit it. Complaining only gets you one thing, the reputation of being a complainer. Not something you'd want mentioned during your eulogy, so don't do it.
Blaming is a tempting refuge to an employee who is faced with a complaining manager. Pushing the responsibility off onto another seems like a good idea in a panicked moment, but that just adds another dimension to the problem. Rather than just having an aggravated manager to deal with, you'll soon have to face the wrath of the team member you snitched on.
So, here's the deal. If you have a recurring problem with the way a staff member or members are doing something, sit down with them and talk about it. State the problem and ask them how they intend to fix it. For instance, I have a very specific system for storing and ordering burs. Our assistant and roving assistant are responsible for changing the burs on the bur block once a week. I have them well organized in bins, or so I thought. I went to inventory them and was dismayed to see they were no longer organized and it seemed that we had way too many of one type of bur. This told me that the bur is not being changed regularly. I've talked to them about this before, but always informally. When I asked the assistant she immediately said the roving assistant must have done it. Since the roving assistant wasn't there, I didn't get an answer.
I vented to my boss who looked at me and said, I don't worry about those things, if I was willing to, I wouldn't need an office manager. Well, my job in danger antenna went up, and I asked his advice since I had already talked to them. He told me to sit down, state the problem and wait. Rather than feeling that I had to come up with a solution, I could see that I would be forcing them to take responsibility. Then, rather than be frustrated and feel that they don't care, I was giving them the opportunity to show me that they do. So, next time you have a problem with a staff member try sitting down, stating the problem and asking them, "What are you going to do about it?" Then sit back and be quiet.