Have you ever worked a full day, felt exhausted by the end of it, and got relatively little work done? You’re either babysitting your team or constantly putting out little fires for them.
Are you spending too much time on the silly stuff and not strategic issues? ?Then you’re the victim of a Complaint Avalanche.
Let’s Clear the Path of this problem, freeing up time to focus on the important challenges that define your success and ultimately your paycheck? Here are some tips to take back your schedule:
The Curse of an Open Door: Many leaders believe an open door policy is a good idea. I applaud open communication but the policy encourages employees to complain whenever they encounter a problem or challenge. Most people think their problem is extremely important, deserves immediate attention, and is the only problem you have.
But their issue may not be your top concern. Before long you’re dealing with a laundry list of complaints that can include the fact that a co-worker doesn’t say good morning to anyone, the contents of the soda machine, and the fact that the office has too much toilet paper (all of these are real complaints I’ve received). Very few issues are extremely urgent.
Before long you have to dig yourself out from under all these interruptions, trying to fairly act on them. Instead, you need to create limits for your staff that will reduce the amount of time you have to spend on complaints and encourage them to pursue their own solutions.
Set Up a Time for Issues: Take control of your schedule. Don’t allow staff to interrupt your time with their problems. Arrange an ongoing open door time when staff can come to discuss concerns and complaints. Pick one that is typically a low productivity period for you.
Require staff to set an appointment for the session, which includes the amount of time they need for the discussion. While this may seem bureaucratic, the goal is to safeguard your time and make sure everyone is prepared.
Ask for Answers: At the meeting, ask your employee to explain the problem. Then ask him or her to give you a potential solution. Your goal is to make them more independent and produce their own answers. You don’t want to become the fix-it person for every problem your organization faces.
Empower Employees: If you still find yourself bogged down with complaints, create a committee designed to try to deal with problems before they come to your attention. Make the group composed of employees from several different departments. Their job is to help deal with the small stuff and summarize any major issues.
