Submitted by eeyore on
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Please could someone offer advice?
I have been managing a team for about 6 months and I have a few problems with one person that I am just not sure how to deal with.
She is really keen and enthusiastic and as a person I am getting on well with her. As a member of my team I am finding her extremely difficult to manage, she has a tendency to make decisions without informing me or even discussing it.
I have asked her on more than one occasion to run things by me but she has not changed. This week she was talking about a communication she wanted to send out and I asked her to let me see it first. She forwarded it onto me, and I agreed it could go with one minor change. I was in a meeting later in the afternoon and came back in the next day to find that she had sent it out, having changed it. What she had added was factually incorrect and made our team look incompetent. Also, there was no time constraint, it could easily have waited until the next day.
Another recent example is that she is currently working on updating some guidance. She gave it to me to review, and I made some amendments which I then talked through with her. When I next looked at the document, she has changed some of it but in some cases she has amended my changes!
I am getting really frustrated as she is a real asset in the team and I do not want to stifle her enthusiasm, yet I need her to accept that some decisions are mine to make. I always encourage people to make suggestions and try to involve everyone as much as possible, but in some cases she is starting to argue with and question my decisions. I made a decision on something a few weeks ago which she questioned, and without consulting me she emailed the team and my boss, requesting a meeting to discuss what she thought was a good way forward, and attaching a proposal to be discussed. My boss told me he did not need to be involved in the detail as that’s why he has appointed me…a fair point. The end result was that my decision stood but I still felt that not only was she questioning my authority, but she was also undermining me as the other people in my team were aware that I had already made a decision. Also she had wasted time putting together a proposal on a subject which she has no knowledge or experience of.
Another problem is that she often tells me something with complete confidence, as though it is fact, and I later find out that it is not. I have asked her in the past, if she is not sure just to say that she is not sure but she still continues. This week I discovered she had thrown away some paper documents, when I asked if they needed to be saved she told me they did not and gave me what I thought was a reasonable explanation as to why not. I told her I would just double check, and found that we have a corporate policy of retaining the records concerned for at least 3 years. This is the second time I am aware of that documents have been disposed of which should not have been.
To add to my stress, one of my colleagues complained to me last week that she is making decisions in his area of work which he does not know about without consulting with him. She used to work in that area, and the current post holder has apparently expressed dissatisfaction, as she feels that rather than helping her she is trying to manage her.
I intend to talk to her on Monday and go through a few of the above things, and just explain the effects of some of the decisions she has taken. Prior to my appointment there was no one at my level, the only manager had a big team so did not have time to get involved in everything. Because of this I think she has just got used to doing her own thing.
How can I get her to stop making decisions without consulting me?
Your final question is really telling...
"How can I get her to stop making decisions without consulting me?"
I would never set this goal. I'd think your goal should be "how can I get her to START making the RIGHT decisions without consulting me?" I don't know if you feel you need to justify the value of your position, since it's a new level. But your goal should be to take on more responsibilities from your boss, not take on more responsibilities of your directs.
In fact, to be blunt, if you succeed in this goal -- to curtail her enthusiasm and disempower her -- it will be your worst "accomplishment" as a manager. I really don't mean to be offensive, but just want to provide an outsider's perspective based on the limited picture you've painted.
Now, I'm not saying she's perfect -- clearly she made mistakes in the instances you suggest. You mention a few times that she's really valuable and has experience. And most of her errors honestly seem to be in the spirit of taking initiative, while executing imperfectly. If she needs a bit more humility, that won't come unless you lead with relationship power. Role power will definitely put her on the defensive, and more errors will occur as a result. Not sure if you're doing O3's etc. but obviously don't emphasize feedback if you don't have a relationship.
Get her on your side and you may find 10 years from now that she's been the secret to your success. Delegate more to her -- she's obviously gung-ho and you might as well have her working on your priorities instead of chasing whatever catches her eye.
Good luck and give us an update if you get through this successfully!
Sounds like??
I agree with Buhlerar's suggestions
Sounds like "Disgruntled direct" podcast may offer some insight as well regarding her open opposition to your decisions.
A few additions:
be specific about the delegation, including status reporting.
And regarding your intent to speak with her about the instances, remember that feedback has a 'half-life' of effectiveness, and combining two or more instances of negative feedback - particularly past the time limit - can and likely will be misconstrued as an attack on your part rather than constructive feedback, and will put her on the defensive
It's all fixable with feedback
Your anecdotes describe behaviors and behavior can be addressed by feedback. Failing to run decisions by you, issuing a document without your changes, stating non-facts as if they are fact would all diminish after some correcting feedback.
"Can I share something with you. When you changed my amendments to the guidance document and issued it it means I have to double-check again and that slows us down Can you do that differently?"
Give feedback frequently, even daily. Your last paragraph says you are planning to sit down and talk to her about these anecdotes. Sounds like she has not yet had the benefit of your feedback. We all get better from feedback. Give her that advantage.
It's all fixable with feedback
Your anecdotes describe behaviors and behavior can be addressed by feedback. Failing to run decisions by you, issuing a document without your changes, stating non-facts as if they are fact would all diminish after some correcting feedback.
"Can I share something with you. When you changed my amendments to the guidance document and issued it it means I have to double-check again and that slows us down Can you do that differently?"
Give feedback frequently, even daily. Your last paragraph says you are planning to sit down and talk to her about these anecdotes. Sounds like she has not yet had the benefit of your feedback. We all get better from feedback. Give her that advantage.
Eeyore, I would also check
Eeyore,
I would also check out the "There is no why in feedback" podcasts (2 parts) it will probably help you with her likely to be defensive attitude to feedback.
DISC: 7511
give feedback on specific issues - complete the story
My first impression to your email was: "why do you say she is an asset as she has done such a mess?" My second impression was then: "Sounds like a C managing a D-I?" Based on what you have told us I think you and her see the world completely differently and you can probably make a great team if you find a way to communicate well, and if she indeed lets you guide her and if on the other hand you also identify which things she can be an asset to you and indeed let her make some decisions and some mistakes. I know she has made a mess, but is there a chance perhaps it was not that bad? I do agree with the comments above that your purpose should be to "how can I get her to START making the RIGHT decisions without consulting me?"
If you are a high C and she is a high D-high I, listen or re-listen to the podcasts on the high C manager downfall, and managing a high D, high I.
Reading your story I was shifting from thinking she is purposely sort of sabotaging your decisions and your position to just thinking she is trying her best but that is just the way she is. I think you have to "tell the rest of the story", to use the terminology from the Crucial Conversations, Tools from Talking when Stakes are High book, to be able to sort it out. I think you can benefit from the book in terms of identify the whole story (for yourself), that is, your role into the situation. Please don´t understand me wrong, nobody is guilty of anything. Most likely you both are doing your best but in different ways and ways that don´t agree and don´t communicate well and if rather than subtracting you can sum up you will dramatically increase your teams performance. The book orients you on identifying what you really want, finding a common goal, seeing the whole story, sharing your path, listening to the other persons path, and improving the decision process.
Good luck and do keep us posted on how it goes and improves. All the best!
Nara