I love my employee but she can’t step up. Help!

Dear Aunty

I have a staff member whom I love dearly – but she drives me nuts. She has been there almost from the start and over the years we have worked closely together. But she will not adjust to the fact that we are now a medium-sized business. She won’t report to anyone else, she won’t work properly in a team and she keeps begging me to let her go lone wolf like the old days when it was just me and her.I have to start my morning meeting her for a coffee or she sulks (although now I make it takeaway).

I am about to make a major restructure where she will be two reports away from me.

I am reading this so much that I am in two minds whether to do it or not. She always puts on a show when there is any mention of restructure and says she will leave if she can’t work with her friend. Am I missing something? Is there some way that I can create a special role for her?

Yours,

Give me Courage

Dear give me courage,

Gee. Don’t envy you that one. Look, you know how this is going to play out.

She is going to leave. As you grow, some staff, no matter how wonderful and valuable, cannot work effectively in a more complex environment. They don’t have the discipline, focus or maybe the skills to adjust to a larger structure. Their personality suits a start-up and they feel cramped and exasperated working in a more disciplined structure with strict reporting lines and performance measures. They are always going to be happy in that start-up situation, close to the founder and have a big space in which to play.

I am sure you have exhausted all options so it is time to bite the bullet.

Be smart,

Your Aunty B

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