Go To The Dogs!
Analogies For Good Management Practices Are All Around.
I think my dog just demonstrated a lesson that applies to how we might handle the type of employee that is constantly pointing out problems.
Some workers were at my home picking up excess paving stones from the backyard and Lizzie (our little black rescue) started barking her head off as usual. My normal reaction is to shout for her to be quiet, which never works. For once, I decided to try something different based on some tidbits I've learned about dog psychology from an uncle who trains them. We can't expect dogs to meet us at our mental level, but we can try to understand them at their level.
So, I thought, what if I show her that I got the warning message she was giving about what she perceived as an unknown but potential threat? I opened the door to let her see the workers, praised her for doing her job and then comforted her hoping she would get the message that I approved of what was happening. Color me shocked - In this instance it worked! She stopped barking and I was able to get back to work without distraction. The sudden outbreak of quiet cause me to contemplate…
I'm no dog expert, but it seems to me that from the point of view of a pack animal, one of their ingrained behaviors is to notify others in the pack of potential danger. It seems reasonable to me that once the Alpha of the pack has been made aware of the potential threat and then shows no concern, that the other dogs understand that they can cease from the alerting behavior knowing they have served their purpose.
One of my quirks is that life analogies often pop into my mind. It seems to me that the event I described might just apply to how we engage with certain types of employees - the type that defines me actually. I was always one of those workers that had my eye out for bad systems and procedures – especially time-wasting, soul crushing, useless, redundant tasks or work that could be made more efficient with better completion rates via the creation of improved procedures and/or automation. Some of the employers let me attack the issues, and I became the golden child who helped things run more smoothly. Others just saw me as a complainer, and I did not last long there.
Poorly designed, tedious, or just sloppy procedures have always bothered me, and perhaps that's why I eventually found my way into running my own software consulting business. For me, like my dog Lizzie, identifying and improving issues in my organization just felt like an instinctive purpose. And don't we all prefer work that gives us that sense of purpose?
Yes, there are certainly some folks who just complain for the sake of complaining. But there are others who complain “share their concerns” (perhaps not with enough tact at times) because they really want what is best for the organization, its staff, and their own work sanity. Such employees are expressing genuine concerns about real issues, such as not being able to respond to client needs quickly enough, or tasks that make them hate their boring or frustrating job and want to quit . I really feel I was this type of “complainer” with good intentions.
How might this apply to how we interact with employees who are of this second sort ? I’d suggest: Listen to their input. That should help us discern their intentions as well. Are they trying to help or just the type who like to vent without a desire to see things improve ? Now, as a manager, the issues they are pointing out may not be a top priority. Managers' days are full of handling many issues and not everything can be a top priority. Those employees may not see this reality from a manager's perspective. That does not mean that what they are pointing out is not something that should be addressed at some point. Also, by listening to them, we may just discover some issues we were not aware of or were not aware of how serious a known issue was affecting the staff. Perhaps more importantly, by listening we are showing appreciation for their diligence in performing their function of looking out for potential dangers to our business. By letting them share such things with us so we can address them at the right time, we help them feel a sense of purpose in their job - that by their efforts, things could become better for the company, its staff and its customers, in a small but tangible way .
When we really hear those employees and sincerely show appreciation for their input, we can then share with them how we as managers need to prioritize pursuing a resolution to that issue in relation to all the other fires we are trying to put out. Perhaps, we might even enlist their help in finding a solution, since they may just have a great perspective on the issue and some fresh ideas. Now we are not only getting help with our job as a manager to make things run more smoothly, we are helping to train a possible future manager.
I'm not one of these folks that projects human qualities onto dogs. But in this case, I really think this was practical analogy and an opportunity to pause and think about how we as managers respond to employees that are “conscientious complainers”. Show them we hear them, that we understand the situation and are appreciative of their willingness to offer input. And perhaps make them an ally in pursuing a resolution that will improve the company’s systems and procedures in some tangible way.
Or maybe I just need to get my head out of the clouds and get back to work. That reminds me, if you need affordable software to run your business, and want it set up right, I made a little button just for you.
