Catch 22 of People Management

Employees carry all sorts of baggage to work — family issues, personal insecurities/frustrations, exhaustion, intolerance for other people’s differences, abilities and dis-abilities, health concerns — and then they develop relationships/alliances/friction with other employees.

They all know I expect peace and cooperation, but there are so many things that can be done covertly, that I do not see.

When I

• try to be fair and tolerant, the boss is playing favorites.
• try to discipline with reason and justice, the boss isn’t tough enough.
• make long-view nuanced decisions, the boss isn’t handling today’s annoyance.
• do not give supervisory or decision power to a loose-cannon employee, ‘the boss doesn’t trust me’.

Do I discipline an employee for something heard third-hand through unreliable filters? How do I address an expensive but innocent mistake? How do I change an employee’s anger, bossiness, or disinterest without making things worse? Do I micro-manage/control or do I encourage/trust/empower?

The most difficult part of running a business is handling the employees, hands down. It is, without a doubt, being King Solomon and Judge Judy but then having to live with the consequences.