Sometimes a comment is just too good to keep in the “comments zone.” A comment that was posted today in regards to my post about the “care and feeding of talent” made me laugh and cringe at the same time…sad to say it is so true, so true…
6 suggestions for supervisors from a malnourished employee:
1. Don’t get in the habit of hiding! When you do we get anxious about sporadic outbursts.
2. Communicate openly. We all need feedback. It validates our work. But it shouldn’t come solely from behind a closed door.
3. Check your personal problems at the door. Please. We’ll do the same.
4. Actively engage your staff in new challenges. This energizes us!
5. Don’t treat your staff members like your children. It feels nice at first but eventually blurs boundaries and leads to frustration. We value a professional working environment more than you might realize.
6. Accept our accomplishments as an invitation to help us grow.
Sooooooooooo, if you’re one of these “malnurioushed employees” how are you going to get fed (before you dry up and wither away…or polish up your resume)? If you’re one of these managers/supervisors who are so caught up in your hide-away worlds of email communications and spreadsheets, when are you going to get activated to initiate your withering staff…Before you lose those talented starving staff members?
Yes to Know 
I hear you! File all of this under ‘what NOT to do when I’m a manager.’
Helene,
I used to sit on a “service excellence” team that took recommendations for “improvements” for the Library. So often, the recommendations for improvements fell into the category of what I called “punish the patron” suggestions. These were attempts to create change through controlling patrons or staff–mostly patrons. Why do we have the tendency to think that chaos will rule if we let go of the reigns just a little bit? New and exciting things could happen, too–like CHANGE. Hmmmmm….
TT.