Q & A Table of Contents
I Get Blamed For My Team's Poor Work
From: Pawan, Delhi, India
Question: In my team some of the guys are slow workers but good in raising concerns. Sometimes the concerns they raise are genuine but I cannot address them properly because their attitude towards the job is not positive. How can I work with them and increase their productivity? If the person is not willing to change, how should I go forward to the management with facts about the investment I have made in the under-performing person? Because at the end of the day if the person is not doing his job efficiently I have to take the blame from the management.
Response: If the people you supervise raise a lot of issues, rather than devising solutions yourself you should ask them for answers. "Why is this a problem?" "If you were in my position, what changes would you make?"
You also need to make it clear that if you are to take them seriously, they need to develop action plans for themselves with clear milestones or benchmarks so that they can measure their own success. Have them write down their action plans so you can give copies to management. That way management will know ahead of time what commitments your employees have made.
Remember to trade with the employees who are raising concerns. "If you will do X amount of work within a specific deadline, then I will make the following changes in response to your request."
By paying attention to your subordinates and trading commitments with them, you are more likely to reach the productivity targets that will satisfy management. By keeping management informed of the process and of each employee's action plan, you make management your partner in improving the situation.
Good luck,
Steve
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