October 15, 2003
Copyright © 2003 by Bill Dueease
Employees are paid to perform functions and produce results desired
by their company. The bosses of employees are usually the people who
communicate the duties and results desired and expected. Normally, the
actions that bosses ask their employees to perform and the results they
seek are within the expected parameters of the position the employees
agreed to take. However, companies frequently change the position duties
or bosses ask employees to do things that are outside the expected realm
of the initial job position. As an example; the recent downsizing epidemic
in corporations has forced companies to place additional duties and
responsibilities on remaining employees to cover for those employees
who were laid off.
Undue tension and poor performance occurs when employees are asked and
expected to perform duties that conflict with their own priorities and/or
values.
Bosses sometimes ask employees to work late (after normal working hours).
As long as the person being asked agrees with performing the requested
actions and that doing so does not contradict his or her own set of
priorities and values, things will probably work out fine. Yet, working
late will probably conflict with the priorities of the employee, resulting
in undue tension and probably poorer than expected performance.
As you can see from the example, it is very important for the employee
and the boss to know and understand the priorities of the employee and
even the boss. When people impose their priorities on others, either
intentionally or unintentionally, things begin to come unraveled. Sure,
a boss has the right and obligation to set priorities for employees,
but only within the context of the normal working environment. Likewise,
an employee can be expected to follow the priorities set by a boss within
the working environment, as long as the priorities only affect work
related matters and as long as they do not violate the integrity and
values of the employee.
.
It is important that you know and understand your basic values and rules
of integrity. Sometimes you will be asked to do and say things (whether
knowingly or unintentionally) that will violate your values and/or integrity.
The clearer you are about these issues and your priorities, the easier
it will be to avert problems caused by the conflicts that arise from
agreeing to take actions that conflict with your own priorities and
values. If you find yourself working in an environment that constantly
conflicts with your values and priorities, you might want to consider
finding a work environment that corresponds more to your priorities,
integrity and values. This might entail changing bosses or changing
companies altogether.
Likewise, you may also be a boss someday and might want someone to work
late on a project. As a boss, you would be very wise to discover and
understand the priorities, values and integrity of your employees. This
way you will be able to better fit the right employee with the right
position to increase job and personal harmony and reduce conflicts.
Ideally, you will want to discover these things about your employees,
before you hire them. However, you will frequently not have the opportunity
to do so at hiring time, because others will have already hired them
and you were probably promoted or moved in as their boss, after the
fact. You will want to discover such things from each of your employees
to reduce or eliminate undue conflicts, where possible.
However, as a boss, you are not in the best position to assist your
employees to discover their priorities, values, integrity, especially,
if they are not sure themselves. Why? Because you have a vested interest
in the outcome of this discovery process (you are biased) and because
you have considerable power to react to what you discover. Consequently,
your employees would most likely try to provide the responses that they
believe you want to hear, within a reasonable range of parameters, rather
than explore the truth about themselves. They know you are biased and
that you have the power to affect them based upon whatever you discover.
Consequently, neither you nor your employees will discover the truth
about their priorities, values and integrity rules, if you, as the boss,
try to uncover them for your employees.
.
People need other people to assist them to discover these important
matters, consequently, it not a self-help process. You will be wise
to encourage your employees to seek help from someone to make these
discoveries. Then your employees will be able to honestly relate to
you what their true priorities and passions are, so the two of you can
develop the best fit for the employee.
But what if your employees seek help from someone and discover that
their priorities, values and integrity rules conflict with the position
they are in as your employee? Would this be detrimental to you as a
boss? Of course not! In fact, the earlier you discover these things
about you employees, the quicker you can make position adjustments to
fit each employee.
Just look at what baseball managers do to find the right position for
their players. They use scouts to perform the discovery process in other
environments to determine which position or positions a player would
be better suited for. The managers listen to the scouts, ask the players
and even conduct tryouts to discover their priorities, and talents and
skills. The wise and successful (baseball) manager is one who has the
right players in the right positions at the right time. Therefore, reducing
conflicts within the team to increase teamwork and eventual success.
You have more control over reducing or eliminating undue conflicts at
work than you think, whether you are the employee or the boss. Take
advantage of your power and enjoy work and life more.
We welcome your opinions and comments.
Bill Dueease
Editor
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