Open Discussion Management

I always find that the most difficult part of running a company has to do with the management of people. I find that most people have egos and its very hard to "let your guard down" and give and receive constructive criticism. I just dealt with an issue when I had one manager give unclear direction to a staff member. The staff member tried to execute on the direction they were given, but because of the communication issues, did not preform at the level that was expected. The manager that gave the incomplete direction gave additional direction, again unclear, and the staff member responded in a manner that was inconsistent with their performance level and unacceptable. When I looked at the issue is was very clear that the employee was frustrated with the direction they were given and the lack of support they received. Their performance was closely associated with this frustration. When I approached the manager with this observation, they had a lot of difficulty in seeing the issue and only wanted to criticise the employee.

The amazing thing is that neither party recognised that they were not working well as a team and it was effecting both their careers and their clients. It was clear that the reaction from the employee was unacceptable, but the lack of direction and lack of support from the manager was the catalyst for the issue. Many people believe that you should have individual discussions with the employees to correct the situation, but I believe that you need to rally the team, identify all issues, and allow for an open discussion..