Preventing Employees from Failing

Suspicion and dissatisfaction with an employee’s performance may create a ‘failure mindset’ of a manager toward employee. Time after time, this manager may stop believing in the employee and a cycle that revolves low morale, low performance and deterioration of performance starts.
A chain reaction begins to happen with this employee once the manager’s mentality changes toward him. First he might turn in a project that has been completed improperly. In response, the manager reprimands him. His self-confidence decreases which leads to a reduction in productivity. The more the manager disciplines and chastises him, the more his motivation is undermined. When people perceive chronic disapproval or lack of confidence and appreciation they tend to shut down.

Here is an example of the issue. John was the President of a small company and a client of mine. He hired a new controller for his company who seemed to be a sharp, loyal and ambitious professional. Two months into the relationship John started doubting the capabilities of his controller. He started communicating his frustration to his colleagues. When of one of his colleagues asked what went wrong he answered that the controller was still not up to speed and that he failed to prepare a very important report for him last month. John’s colleagues asked him if he had communicated or at least found out what happened with the controller. His answer was, “I hired him for that. He was supposed to know that I need that report for my board of directors.”

There are of course some possible solutions, but several things many managers try that actually make the situation worse are often carried out some of the thing are:

1. Requiring approval before making decisions. Becoming stricter with a troubled employee will only aggravate the situation. With employees who suffer from low self-esteem, having someone looking over their shoulder every step of the way is stressful and distracting. By allowing them to work on their own, the leader is breaking the thought pattern of “failure” and displaying the trust he has in his employee.
2. Avoiding face-to-face confrontations. Instead of dealing directly face-to-face with his employees he may choose to communicate his dissatisfaction or concern via email. But he should not fall into the temptation. Progressive leaders make the time and effort to Mo the right thing” and discuss issues in person with their employees. Granted, these discussions are no fun for anyone.
3. Allowing his perceptions to prevail. A perception about a situation sometimes is strong and it may end up with reality – whether it is true or not, it can create turbulence and a string of bad decisions. When a manager is dealing with a troubled employee – before he discusses the issue with the troubled employee. He usually bases his decisions on his perception and not necessarily the facts.
4. Low expectations. If he expects too little from his employee and he does not present new challenges, his employee will come to doubt his or her own thinking and his confidence in them. When they lose the confidence of their manager, only negative things follow.

COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. If a manager reprimands an employee, will the employee’s self-confidence likely decrease?
2. What will happen when people perceive chronic disapproval?
3. Is avoiding face-to-face confrontation a solution to improve employee’s performance?
4. Why is John dissatisfied with his controller?
5. Do you think it is good for low self-esteem employees to always have approval before making decision in their work?
6. What does “do the right thing” in paragraph 4 mean?
7. Should manager lose his employees’ confidence?
8. What are the things that many managers try to make situation better but actually they make it worse?