Stupid Employees, What Do You Do?

OK, you just had an employee do a really stupid thing. What should you do? Well, I can tell you know, it’s probably not what you think. You could yell, throw a private fit, and tell them they did wrong and how to fix it, but is that going to teach them to think for themselves, or rely (with trepidation) on you to tell them how to do everything, never learning WHAT they did wrong, or WHY? Next time, ask questions. Communicate, ask them, the one that did the stupid thing: “What did you think I wanted you to do? What did you hear me say? Show me what you did, and why you thought that was correct?” Then re-direct them so they figure out how to correct the situation. You may find your instructions were incomplete, and they couldn’t read your mind. Or, you may find that the conclusion they came to was wrong because, for one reason or another, they missed an important part of the equation. Where and why did they miss it? Here’s an age-old saying: Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he can eat for a lifetime. What you’re transitioning into is “coach”, one that leads people to communicate effectively, check their own work, and solve their own problems using higher levels of thinking. If it’s easier to just do it yourself, or tell them what to do. . . then do it yourself, and you won’t have a need for employees. But then the company won’t need you as the “leader”, they’ll need someone to manage you. It’s your choice, and it’s a completely different set of skills you need. You now need to set them up for success, and then you’re a success; that is, a successful leader. Hmmm…think about it.