As a manager of people, part of your role will be to find solutions to work problems then ask your team to carry out your instructions. But isn’t it frustrating when your team repeatedly don’t follow your instructions as expected, or worse, simply ignore you?
When Branta’s working in the field, we often receive the complaint from managers that everything would be much better if employees simply did what they were asked. After cash flow, it’s the biggest cause of stress in a manager’s life since they tell their team what to do over and over until they’re blue in the face.
Common self-diagnoses include things like:
- “I didn’t anticipate this when I interviewed them";
- “They’re grown-ups, but I have to constantly remind them what to do like children”; and
- “They’re paid good money and should know what to do”
If this feels like a familiar complaint, keep reading to understand what might be going on in the relationship with your team and find out ways to fix what’s broken.
Why are my instructions being ignored?
A simple way to approach this problem is to flip it upside-down. Instead, ask yourself: “Why should my team do what I tell them to do?”. In most professional situations you shouldn’t need to tell your team what to do as most employees will be able to achieve the task in their own unique way. The only essential thing you need to agree with your team-mate is why your company needs to complete the task.
Of course there are occasional situations when your leadership needs to be functional, clear and obeyed. For example, if a fire breaks out you must immediately stop what you are doing, leave the building safely and muster in the car park. None of this is open to creative interpretation.
But these situations are rare and most of the time your team doesn’t need (or want) to be told what to do. The Leadership Continuum can give you some guidance on when to be autocratic and when to be relationship-led. There are always different times to lead, times to coach, and times to tell. The skill is choosing the correct style.
