How much do you support your staff?
Posted: 9 August 2016 at 12:29 pm | Author: Laura Morris
One of your employees comes to you to say they need support in a specific area of their job. Firstly, give yourself a pat on the back, as it must mean you are an approachable leader! However, there is the possibility that you are also a tad frustrated because now you have to find a way to support your employee when actually you were in the middle of something else.
As you are a good manager, you will of course seek a solution and quite rightly help your employees where you can, whether that is by advising directly or by delegating to another team member to support accordingly.
So one way or another the job in question is completed, your employee is happy so it’s a job well done… right? In the short-term yes this is correct, but what about a longer term solution? If this become a regular occurrence and someone is consistently unable to perform areas of their job role this can become a drain on other resources and can lead to discontent within the remaining team members.
If this occurs it is time to consider why and what can be done. Is it a recruitment issue? Perhaps the person has been employed without having the correct knowledge for the job in question or have they been promoted without any necessary training in place? If this is the case consider if they really have the potential to fulfil the role effectively or if it is worth checking if the individual is still in their probationary period.
Perhaps a solution could be to offer the individual a set mentor to guide them through any difficulties they may face as this would free up your own time. Alternatively would external training help? Is the issue they have too much work? Consider time management training or re-allocating tasks. If the concern is a particular skill set, is there a qualification they can complete or a course to attend?
As a good leader of course you need to be supportive, but remember this should not be at a long-term detriment to remaining team members or your own workload, there are always alternative ways in which you can help support and manage your team effectively.
Want to learn more about becoming an effective leader? Check out CAW Business ILM Leadership and Management courses or call 01480 422060 for more information