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I've gotten some complaints about one of my directs. She is in a senior role, where some of her directs have complained to me about how she will handle certain projects.

I have historically told them that's i hear what they are saying, but then i ask them, well have you talked to her about this? they always say no. So then i say 'when you come to me like this and aren't bringing it up to her, it can be undermining. situations don't improve if people here aren't communicating.'

I have felt that some of these complaints have been legit, and so i've then addressed the behavior with my direct in one on ones, but i have shielded her from knowing that x y and z persons have come to me about you. I just present it as things i've seen.

Anyway, her weakness on some of these issues has persisted, and i still get some complaints, going on around 18 months of this ... so i wonder if i need to facilitate some sort of meeting with her and one of the detractors who came to me today on something, again.

my instinct, as you know, has been not to stoop down to solving all this for them, because i feel like its my direct's job to figure out how to deal with these problems ... ugh.... just really frustrating for me.

earlenebiggs's picture
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How have you addressed the behavior with your direct?  

Have you given your direct feedback (using the MT feedback model of course!) on the behaviors you want changed?  If not, try to observe your direct so you can see "behavior in action" and start with feedback. If behavior continues and is serious then move to coaching.

My tip is  - when frustrated, go back to the basics. It usually works for me.

Earlene

DiSC: 6127

SuzanneB's picture

"because i feel like its my direct's job to figure out how to deal with these problems"

 

Does your direct KNOW she has problems she needs to deal with?  It sounds like you've done something to address it but from your post its not clear how much you've emphasized the issues.  

I'd keep the skips out of it and address it as a behavior problem.  As Earlene said, go back to the basics of feedback on this one.  Good luck.

Suzanne

Camby's picture

thanks ... so i met with the skip in this last instance and said ok, i'm gonna have to hold a meeting with the two of you since this is a continual issue and when you two get gridlocked like this, it just eats into more important things you both can be doing... at that point, the skip finally said, ok, let me talk with her first.

amazing. i mean, like i've always said, you guys need to talk to each other. well, it wasn't till i said, ok, i'm gonna have to be in the room with you two that the skip finally took it upon himself to confront her instead of running to me.

so they met, and then in my one on one with my direct today i just brought up that i knew they had met... we talked about it, and it seems to be ok.

it's an a-typical dynamic in that both of these people are senior people with directs of their own, it's just that on certain projects one becomes the manager of the other.

GlennR's picture

Your direct said the meeting went well. What about the other person? Like the man said, "Trust, by verify!"

I'm not suggesting your direct is trying to hide something. But asking the person whose behavior needs to be corrected how the meeting went is like asking a speaker how his speech went. His perspective may be totally different from that of the audience.

Camby's picture

oh yea, they both said they found common ground and it went well.