Mindset (part 1): They’re Not Out to Get You
Written by Jerry Roberts. Follow me on Twitter.
Attitude, Communication, Leadership

It’s so easy to think that the people on our team must be screwing up on purpose. C’mon, admit it — you’ve had similar thoughts at least once.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve told him about ___________, and he still got it wrong. He’s got to be doing this intentionally.”
I’ve known a few people who have set out to mess with the boss, but it’s extremely rare. I still believe that most people want to do the right thing and will make their best effort if given the opportunity.
As I’ve written about managers, it’s the same with other staff members: About 5% are truly exceptional, another 5% worthless, with the “middle 90%” doing their best and just trying to get along. Some days are good and they get everything right, some days are bad when Chicken Little welcomes the sky as it crashes down, and most days are just average where we get from beginning to end with nothing major happening one way or the other.
But are they trying to ruin me?
I read where Joseph Heller’s book, Catch 22, is credited with the phrase, “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me.”
A lot of us are just convinced that some workers want to see us fail, or enjoy our misery. As indicated in the percentages above I think the real answer is no, in almost all cases. Instead, I know that some people make the same mistake twice, if not over and over again; and a large segment of the workforce need a big boost in listening skills.
The fact is, most managers need to do a better job of explaining and delegating, too. Many of us tend to rush through instructions and don’t take the time to check if people understand what we want.
If we don’t ensure that we’re completely understood, is it the worker’s fault that a mistake is made — or ours?
So how can I be sure that they’re not out to get me?
If you need to know that your staff is just mistake prone and not diabolically planning the demise of your career, do the following:
- When you hand out an assignment make sure the worker can explain to you exactly what you want them to accomplish. Don’t ask, “Do you understand?” They’ll just nod and that means nothing. Instead, say “So, George, give me the plan from start to finish.”
- Send an e-mail to follow the conversation, with a brief outline of your instructions. Yes, this is extra work. So is doing it over after the job is botched.
- Don’t necessarily wait for the job to end before you check in. If a particular worker has had a history of submitting faulty work on occasion, call her into your office in the middle of the project and ask for a progress report. If you can see the work is moving along nicely, you congratulate her. If it’s not going well you can step in to avoid trouble and use the experience as a coaching moment.
If the job still goes bad then you’ve got an employee who might have a better future in another line of work; or YES, he/she was indeed after you all along and their firing will rid you of this menace!
However, if all goes well and you’re happy with the results, both you and the worker should audit the project to determine what went right and what can be improved. Use the time for positive reinforcement.
Teach your people constantly and help them grow.
Eventually, and probably much sooner than you believe, it will pay off.
Comments are welcome.

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