Surely you’ve had occasion now and then to discuss a particularly problematic junior. Perhaps he or she passively resists your instructions, disputes the wisdom of your guidance, or even actively foments dissension in your team.
In the event, you probably have also received advice from your peers – or even your own bosses – that purports to make the issue as straightforward as can be: you’re the boss, they’re the employee, that’s all anyone needs to know. If a junior can’t fathom the depths of that system, he or she should simply be disciplined or let go.
There are many problems with that sort of thinking, but it’s worth noting that far from the least of them is that it is technically true. Moreover, while many may decry such an attitude as unethical and immoral, the reality is that it, strictly speaking, is neither.
So, enlightened as we all undoubtedly are, while we struggle to accommodate the puzzling motivations and ever-proliferating needs of our employees, deep down we are also wrestling with the temptation to just sack them all. Who knows, maybe our own bosses are also doing that – regarding us.
We will be looking, over the coming days, and in the context of our current overall discussion, at how managers might deal with these internal and external demons. Please do join us.
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This post is a part of a series. You can learn about and link to the other articles here: Managing life, work, and life at work
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Today’s tip: Mary Jo Asmus recently published this story which you should read. Many of us will recognize ourselves in it, and be encouraged to do something about the obstacles we set before ourselves. But don’t you suppose that there is something else you should look for here: the presence of stories like this one in your staff? Is being alert for that sort of thing any of your business as a manager?
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Why not try out this feature provided here by Answers.com: If you double-click on any (non-hypertext-linked) word on the main page of the site, a window will open providing definitions or encyclopedic material about that term, together with links to additional sources of information. Try it out – it’s interesting and fun.
And, of course, while you’re clicking around, don’t forget to click on your choice of an email or RSS-feed subscription to these pages – we’ll be proud to have you join us!
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