As leaders, it’s easy to get frustrated by the actions, or inaction, of your team members. You want them to be successful, high-achieving. Instead, there are times when it seems they are apathetic, lazy, and unmotivated.
They’re frustrating…
But what about you? Do you know how your actions frustrate those you lead?
There’s a good chance you don’t. It’s easy to forget the struggle of being an entry-level employee. Even a mid-level manager.
There’s a lot of frustration to go around. Let’s look at 4 things you’re doing that will frustrate your employees.
4 Things You’re Doing That Frustrate Your Employees
Refuse To Learn New Ways To Communicate:
Lots of leadership books have been written on communication. Many of those tell us that we must learn to communicate in the style of the leader if we want to be noticed.
That’s well and good. But it doesn’t stop there once you get to a position of leadership.
Your team members may not have:
- Your level of education
- A good grasp of the English language
- Old school mindsets about communication styles
If a team member reaches out to you via a form of communication you don’t like, care for, or know about, learn how to communicate back. You don’t have to learn a new language. You do have to learn new communication styles.
When you fail to learn new ways to communicate, you frustrate your team members.
Ignore Communications:
This frustration can go hand in hand with the previous one. Most leaders who fail to learn new ways to communicate will ignore communications that come in via new methods or methods they don’t like.
You cannot ignore the communication of your team members. Short-term or long-term.
You have to be able to respond to your team members. If you’re busy, shoot them a quick message letting them know what’s going on. Knock on their door to let them know you got the message but will respond later.
Ignoring communications may be one of the biggest ways to frustrate your team members.
Deny Everything:
You hired your team members because you understand they know what they’re doing. Your team member may be a top-notch salesperson, an expert IT Manager, or a quality manager who takes her job seriously.
They know more about their job than you do. They know their needs better, too.
You may not be able to provide everything they need. However, you can provide enough to make their work easier.
Stop denying every request. Open up the checkbook a little and improve working conditions.
Badmouth Your Employees:
If ignoring communications is a sure-fire way to frustrate employees, this may beat it. When you badmouth your employees, you’re creating a toxic culture where people will leave. Sometimes immediately.
Your employees may mess up. They will make mistakes. That’s no reason to badmouth them. They’re just like you, and you make mistakes.
Learn how to control your temper and your tongue. When your employees find out you’re badmouthing them, whether to their face or behind their backs, they’re going to become frustrated.
You Can Do Better
That’s right, you can do better. You don’t have to do the things listed in this article. You don’t have to be a leader who frustrates those they lead.
Instead, you can look to be a leader who tries to help their team members thrive. You do this by:
- Communicating in the way your team member likes to be communicated with
- Finding ways to show you’ve received their communication and responding in a timely fashion
- Equipping your team members with the things they need to get their jobs done
- Speaking well of your employees, to their face and behind their backs
