My employee can’t take constructive criticism. Help!

Dear Aunty B, 

I recently took the plunge and became a partner in our small firm in Melbourne and just as I had handed over the cheque we had our highly valued office manager finish work with us.

Instead of looking for a new office manager we promoted from within the ranks and gave the role to the next most senior administration staff member in the business and hired another junior. She is in her mid-20s and has only ever worked full-time in our company for four years.

She can’t take any constructive criticism from me or my business partner and really hasn’t taken the bull by the horns and managed the office. She stresses out over the smallest of issues and has an attitude of “people are stupid” if they don’t follow things up to the extent she does.

I honestly feel she is too inexperienced for the job and my business partner simply ignores the issue as he is winding back his hours to get ready for retirement.

I honestly don’t have time to take a hand-on approach to the issue as I need to focus on my clients and building the business, but I am worried the issue will grow and have negative effects later on down the track

What should I do?

Dear What should I do,

Congratulations on stepping up and taking a leading position in your firm! It will be great fun building a terrific culture and surrounding yourself with the right people to take the company to the next level.

Oh. Except right in the middle of your company is your office manager who isn’t up to the job. One of the things you learn as a leader is that your company is your people. Your office manager is a critical role. You must be able to rely on her, feel she is supportive, loyal, friendly and extremely competent.

Instead you are going to divert energy every day worrying and thinking about her. You do need to take a hands-on approach to this issue and you need to decide that the time you are going to spend worrying about it is the time you are going to spend doing something about it.

For a start, consider your structure. Is it the right one? Maybe you should restructure and hire a general manager who takes more responsibility and that then leaves the office manager’s role redundant. Or reporting to the general manager. If you are happy with the structure then you simply need to follow the guide to performance managing her so she improves or moves out the door. It’s three warnings you have to give.

The way you do it is to open with a positive but then run through the negatives with a clear suggestion about how she has to improve. You meet with her in two weeks and assess the performance and then in another two weeks. At each stage you say you are giving a warning. Yes it is not a nice process to go through for you and her, and half of all bosses say they find this stuff the most difficult part of being a boss. But you have to do it. Either she has to change or you need someone in the job that does it properly.

Look, I want you to make this oath with me right now. You will never again say that you are too busy to deal with a negative issue like this which can grow and affect your culture. Your culture is your heart. You must protect and nurture it – and look after it! And don’t forget work has to be fun – not just for your staff but for you. So start as you mean to continue.

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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