We need to manage employee mistakes. Unreliable people that work for us. A constant battle. And I play clean-up. They act as they’re off the hook because they apologized. I know that it’s easier to turn around someone than replace them. How do you know when to move on and when to put the time in?
Thoughts of the Day: To manage employee mistakes, reliability is a big issue. Make sure you know where the problem is coming from. Teach people that the problem isn’t over until it’s solved – permanently. Attitude and behavior are where to look when trying to decide if you keep someone or let them go. Make sure that you don’t get in the way of letting others take the reins when it comes to problem-solving.
Manage employee mistakes
One word in this problem puzzle caught my eye: It feels like “lately” . . . Many companies are getting busier as the economy picks up. And yet as owners, we hesitate to commit to hiring what we need, for fear that things will turn down again. After all, most companies are still repairing their balance sheets, and most business owners can still recall the uncomfortable days agonizing over decisions about cutting staff, who to let go. No one wants to get caught out on a limb with too many people on the payroll when they’re not completely sure that the business will grow.
However, when problems start to increase, maybe it’s not the employee, maybe it’s the workload, the fit of skills to work, or the fact that people have no more stretch to give. When business picks up, different parts of the business get busy. The busier employees get, the more likely they are to take shortcuts and risk mistakes.
As new work comes in, the company seeks to expand in any direction, in order to get back on a growth track. Maybe old customers are asking for new and innovative solutions. Or, perhaps new customers are coming in the door with a different set of expectations and product needs. People used to do things the old way get caught short. But as the volume picks up there’s less and less time to train. Old habits die hard. And problems escalate.
Allow and learn from mistakes
One big challenge for most organizations is that they’ve learned to function just in time. An hour of overtime is sometimes necessary to get work out the door. And then it becomes two hours of overtime. Then three hours. Sooner or later, there is no more give. Employees aren’t machines. They need time off to refresh and rest up. And if they don’t get time off, they get worn out, mistakes go up, recovery time puts everyone further behind. And problems get out of control.
So if you’re wondering why things are getting worse “lately”, check if it’s time to hire more employees. Or manage employee mistakes.
On the other hand, when problems crop up all around, you can’t be the one to step in and fix it every time. That just increases the load you’re carrying. It’s time for you to start leading the organization forward to a more successful way of doing things.
Slow it down. When things go wrong the temptation is to rush in order to catch up. Instead, encourage employees to stop and fix one problem before moving on to the next set of challenges. Make fewer demands and avoid introducing new issues until the old ones are taken care of. Ask people to tell you how they’ve solved problems, and really listen to their explanation. Then figure out how to make their solutions permanent.
Defend and advocate for your people
Move employees around. It’s human nature to want to succeed. The question is, are the actions being taken actually leading to success? Ask people to look with a new perspective. Maybe the old way of doing things isn’t the best. It’s hard for someone to see that if they’ve been doing the same thing over and over.
Make realistic promises to customers. Ask the people around you what they think. Just because the customer wants it a certain way, or delivered by a certain date, doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do things. Keep in mind that the extraordinary request often leads to headaches. Make sure you have the time and resources needed before you commit.
Watch what employees do more than listen to what they say. Are certain ones okay with failure? Always trying to fix a problem instead of preventing it? Acting like their way is the only way, even though there are problems all around them? Running around leaving chaos in their wake? That’s not good. Manage employee mistakes. Give them a deadline to start doing things right. Reward people who step up to the plate, admit their mistakes and then take responsibility for permanently fixing the problems they encounter.
Check your own ego at the door. You may know how to fix things. But if you do, someone else doesn’t get the chance to learn. Get out of being in the middle of things. Step back to let others take charge. You may not feel as essential and that’s a good thing. You’ll live longer if you let the people around you take action to fulfill the mission you’ve created.
Looking for a good book? Accountability: The Key to Driving a High-Performance Culture, by Greg Bustin.
