Quiz Time: Step In or Step Away

A Note to Minions:

Q: After six months, your newest coworker still can’t remember all the procedures and is drowning in the more difficult tasks.  Do you step in or let them flail?

A: Step in.  Nothing makes you look worse than being too competitive.  Also, if your team fails, you fail with it.

Q: A coworker is continuously making the same mistakes to the point where even you can’t keep up with them.  Do you continue to step in or let them flail?

A: Step in but also step it up.  Direct them to more training opportunities, suggest a refresher of office procedures to the manager, etc. 

Q: You had to delegate some tasks/projects to other coworkers.  How do you know they’re doing it right?  How often do you step in?

A: It’s time to step away.  Make sure to check-in with the team to make sure they’re not lost, but the whole point of you delegating is to give yourself some more time in your day, not to fill it with micromanagement.   

A Note to Supervisors:

Hands off management is lazy management.

Q: If you organized your staff on a soccer field, would they play with each other or against each other?

Q: Does your senior staff micromanage your junior staff in lieu of you stepping in?

Q: How do you work with staff to make sure they’re up to speed?

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Assess! Assess! Assess!