I need to have a rant about some work shit – so tune out for a moment if you’re not interested 🙂
I manage a business as some people may know – with 12 staff working for me. Last year there were some issues raised with my boss (at the time I didn’t have an area manager, she is slightly higher than that) about my manner with the staff – sometimes when I’m under pressure I have a tendency to be short, snappish, and generally don’t speak to people in the most pleasant way. Last year they raised it with her, we discussed it, and I resolved to change that.
Now over the past 24 hours she’s been to visit, with my now area manager, and she’s sat down with every member of staff in private to talk to them. Last night she told me that this was something she’s doing everywhere – and that nobody has made any complaints about me. “Your staff have good ideas”, she says – “we didn’t just discuss you”, she says.
Before she left, we sat down, and I was subject to a nice little spiel about how I have to spend time speaking to all of the staff one on one each week so that I can become a better people manager and get better results from the team. In fact, now that I think about it, ALL the things we talked about before she left were about me and my management style. Thanks for sharing all those “good ideas” with me. I appreciate it.
Now somehow I have to find the time to sit down with 12 people WEEKLY and talk to them in private – the bottom line is, the only way I’m going to be able to do this is to drop some other responsibilities (and some of those responsibilities are ones which are making the business so successful in the first place.)
I simply don’t have the time – the business is one of the most successful in the group – all the figures, on paper, are excellent. I just don’t have time to be touchy feely with people.
Sigh.
I don’t have time for any extra responsibilities. It’s hard enough when I’m going away for training and meetings 4 or 5 days a month, doing the administrator’s job when she’s not there, and generally run off my feet the other days – unless I work 7 days a week it’s going to be a struggle.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it annoys me how people can walk in, talk to everyone, and all of a sudden come to the conclusion that there’s a problem, when it’s mostly caused by a couple of whingers (who are part of the minority.) And I know who they are – I just need to weed them out.