Stress
Have you ever noticed that your job is stressful?
OK - those who answered no either are not working or having way too much fun.
Every job has some level of stress. Sometimes it is a problem that was not anticipated that needs to be fixed yesterday. Sometimes it is a request from upper management that they want done yesterday. The first is understandable and we can all deal with that kind of stress and in fact many of us don't even think of that as stress. The second is something that management has control over in most, not all, cases and is a matter of setting realistic expectations.
What is realistic is different for everyone. Asking someone to do something they have never done and expecting it to be done in the same time frame as if the individual were experienced is not realistic - yet that is what I've seen too many times.
As a manager you have to have and set realistic expectations and when you give an assignment you have to provide enough information so that it can be done to your expectations. When an assignment is given with less than complete information the results will not be what you expect and the individual doing it will be stressed trying to decide what you really want.
An example - my manager asked for a copy of all checklists. That was the request. No explanation of what kind of checklists, how they would be used or who the target audience would be. Consequently there was a lot of discussion among my peers and I about what was expected and no one had the same answer. We finally asked and received clarification that the checklists requested were problem resolution checklists but still no answer on who the audience would be. Thus what was provided were checklists assuming that they would be used by individuals with the same high skill set as those who created the checklist. Sadly this was not what was expected as the target audience for using the checklists was to be entry level technicians which required that the checklists be rewritten for the audience. This caused stress for everyone involved that could have been avoided.
The lesson is that some stress can be avoided if management sets realistic expectations and clearly articulates all assignments.
posted by Lionel @ 9:57 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Dear Lionel,
The comment about managers setting realistic expectations and giving enough information is "spot on" as my British son-in-law would say. Do you think that one of the reasons for it might be a desire on the part of the manager to have someone to blame if things don't go well? I've been looking through your random thoughts and they seem a lot more than random. there's some great wisdom here. many thanks for sharing it. blessings, Janie-sue
Any manager who intentionally gives an assignment without providing the required background and support should not be in management (imho). It is fine to give an assignment and not provide all the information as a way for the employee to grow but the manager should also make sure that the necessary support structure is in place via one-on-one's, feedback, and coaching to help the employee be successful. After all, if the employee fails, then the manager fails to provide the results to the company that the assignment was intended to provide.
Placing blame is for kindergarteners and not for managers who should be focused on seeking results for the company and growing their employees. Blame reduces the employees tendency to take the risks that are necessary to achieve some goals and can lead to failure - sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
hope this helps
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