Consider your key employees. You trust them. Rely on them. Give them more responsibilities. And then one day things aren’t the way they used to be. You notice that they’re leaving work a little early on most days or missing agreed-upon deadlines or getting into arguments with co-workers.
Something has changed. Although their performance has slipped and their attitude may have deteriorated, consider how you may be managing them. Have you kept pace with the way things have changed, or are you managing them the same way you did 10 years ago in a less complicated environment?
Someone’s slip in performance may be due to no longer knowing what you expect. Your expectations have changed, but you haven’t clearly communicated what is different.
In other situations, however, the person may be resisting doing the job as it has evolved. They may not have the right skill set or may not be motivated to change with the position.
As jobs evolve with more complexity, you need to change how you manage, too. It’s a good idea to periodically look not just at the job descriptions of the various positions that fall within your purview, but identify how the key accountabilities have changed.
Upon reviewing those accountabilities, consider whether the people in those jobs have the capacity and skills to fulfill what you expect or whether you need to make changes.
Most important is to ensure that you continually communicate your expectations so that they know how to meet your standards. Be accountable as a leader as much as you expect your employees to be accountable to you.
Have a great week!
