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Her "silly compromises" would tell me she was definitely not ready for a "higher role".
That said, feedback is critical. As her manager I would point blank tell her the "silly compromises" need to go if she wanted to keep the position she already has much less to ever be considered for a higher role in the future. I would identify her errors, ask her to explain why she reacted the way she did in whatever situation, what made those errors "compromising" (ie could she really understand the potential impact) and how she intended to react differently next time she found herself in that situation to not make that error etc. I would meet with her periodically to assess her progress as well. And if it did not improve, perhaps that is not the position for her.
Let's be clear tho. No manager expects "perfection" (at least not any realistic manager). We all make goofs from time to time-even managers. A typo in a memo, a mathematical transposition of a number and so forth. But if her errors are "compromising the department", that tells me they are more than just minor occasional "human error".
As a manager I expect consistency. Why would you tell her "you have been doing very well" when she is making "silly compromises"? That is not my definition of doing well. Making her ego feel good is doing a disservice to herself, the department and yourself as her supervisor. I agree with providing positive feedback for what she does do correctly-but that you need to make very clear that the things she is not doing well are a major risk and it is not simply a case of getting the good to outweigh the bad-she needs to address the "bad". If she is capable, she needs to step up to the plate.
Her "silly compromises" would tell me she was definitely not ready for a "higher role".
That said, feedback is critical. As her manager I would point blank tell her the "silly compromises" need to go if she wanted to keep the position she already has much less to ever be considered for a higher role in the future. I would identify her errors, ask her to explain why she reacted the way she did in whatever situation, what made those errors "compromising" (ie could she really understand the potential impact) and how she intended to react differently next time she found herself in that situation to not make that error etc. I would meet with her periodically to assess her progress as well. And if it did not improve, perhaps that is not the position for her.
Let's be clear tho. No manager expects "perfection" (at least not any realistic manager). We all make goofs from time to time-even managers. A typo in a memo, a mathematical transposition of a number and so forth. But if her errors are "compromising the department", that tells me they are more than just minor occasional "human error".
As a manager I expect consistency. Why would you tell her "you have been doing very well" when she is making "silly compromises"? That is not my definition of doing well. Making her ego feel good is doing a disservice to herself, the department and yourself as her supervisor. I agree with providing positive feedback for what she does do correctly-but that you need to make very clear that the things she is not doing well are a major risk and it is not simply a case of getting the good to outweigh the bad-she needs to address the "bad". If she is capable, she needs to step up to the plate.
the bold are my thoughts also. I want to help her help herself so it seems plenty of effort from now lol.
well, some of the work she produces is mind blowing...but over the past week, she stumbles on stupid stuff which takes no rocket scientist to solve.
I supervised someone who, for personal reasons, couldnt handle "success". Every time she was recognized for a job well done, whether by praise, or a promotion or a bonus, she followed up by doing something really stupid. I came to realize that it was her way of subconsciously sabotaging her efforts at success. Although she may have claimed she wanted the promotion, $$$ and recognition, deep-down she didnt feel she was worthy of it. She needed psychological help to deal with the demons within and, until she got that help, she could never advance as far as her talent would have taken her.
what i am about to type may seem like a cruel statement, but I think she has some kind of disorder which causes this. Ironically, it may be the cause of her brilliance also.
I don't think my sub-ordinate has issues, but it's definitely (well my instinct tells me) some kind of mental block causing this.
An example of the process with her is so. She would often do things without me asking, and be highly proactive. Then the next day she would do something really silly, that makes her and all of us in the department look foolish. I would like to weed out the bad, and only have the good.
Ever heard of Peter Drucker's management by objectives?? Whether she has a disorder or not doesn't matter. Focus on managing by objectives. And make sure she is consistent by emphasizing consistency. It's a matter of task objectives. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by samston
what i am about to type may seem like a cruel statement, but I think she has some kind of disorder which causes this. Ironically, it may be the cause of her brilliance also.
I don't think my sub-ordinate has issues, but it's definitely (well my instinct tells me) some kind of mental block causing this.
An example of the process with her is so. She would often do things without me asking, and be highly proactive. Then the next day she would do something really silly, that makes her and all of us in the department look foolish. I would like to weed out the bad, and only have the good.
what i am about to type may seem like a cruel statement, but I think she has some kind of disorder which causes this. Ironically, it may be the cause of her brilliance also.
I don't think my sub-ordinate has issues, but it's definitely (well my instinct tells me) some kind of mental block causing this.
An example of the process with her is so. She would often do things without me asking, and be highly proactive. Then the next day she would do something really silly, that makes her and all of us in the department look foolish. I would like to weed out the bad, and only have the good.
Maybe because she's got high potential, she's not focused all the time because of boredom? But without knowing the details or the type of sillyness, it's hard to judge.
Some people are like that - they impress you one day but then not too much the next. Work might not always be getting their full attention and maybe they're just smart but flakey.
Maybe because she's got high potential, she's not focused all the time because of boredom? But without knowing the details or the type of sillyness, it's hard to judge.
Some people are like that - they impress you one day but then not too much the next. Work might not always be getting their full attention and maybe they're just smart but flakey.
well the stupid things are:
- planning a check of our building's alarm system and forgetting to show up for it
- making appointments and forgetting that she made them
Do you point out the specific things that are the problem? You can maybe coach her under the framework of office/corporate "politics" and how there is a certain way the game has to be played. It might not be something she is able to get on her own for whatever reason.
I had a boss years ago who sat me down and told me my work was great but that I needed to improve my time management skills. I did take a course offered by our employer on time management, but I also had to face the fact that I had an unconscious resentment of being given a timeline in which to do something. I was also late to work a lot. Once I realized that I was sabotaging myself for some reason that did not apply to the workplace, I fixed that.
Is it possible to get this person to do a little self-examination?
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 03-28-2010 at 08:09 AM..
- planning a check of our building's alarm system and forgetting to show up for it
- making appointments and forgetting that she made them
Specific ways to mitigate those problems that you could discuss with her are time management and a system of setting up reminders for appointments and tasks. Those things are built into most office-related software. Tell her to use them.
It sounds a little bit as if she might be one of those persons who sets herself up to fail.
Setting up outlook reminders or writing down appointments is such a fundamental business concept I have to wonder how anyone can think she has potential. Even if you tell her she needs to do these things, and she does act on that direction, it is such a basic task that I can't imagine that she is capable of more complex tasks and responsibilities that would come with a move to the next level.
It sounds to me like OP is projecting qualities onto this person that don't exist. It happens, managers 'see themselves' in someone and reshape that person in their mind, overlooking failings and inventing strengths that they don't have. But unfortunately the delusion benefits no one. The recipient of the projection will never be someone other than who they are so eventually reality will break through the image. The manager gets a hard reality check. Other quality workers are overlooked and do not get the career opportunities they deserve, and the company suffers from having lost that talent.
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