Monday, October 15, 2012

Managing a Colleague


I'v been thinking this through today. Are these helpful? What might I have missed?

How to manage a junior colleague - Ten Top Tips

1. Recruit on the basis of doing the job. If they can't do the job or be trained to do it don't recruit them. Don't recruit them just because they are better than the other candidates.

2. Having decided they are able to do the job, back your impeccable judgement and let them.

3. Offer encouragement and thanks, especially in the early days when jobs are done well, properly, adequately or even, only just.

4. Don't chase people up before the deadline unless they have missed one.

5. If a deadline is missed (without it being renegotiated) then rebuke, gently, and next time issue a pre-deadline reminder. If this deadline is met revert to point 4.

6. Take no interest whatsoever in the small details of the job you have employed this person to worry about for you.

7. If you have comments on how a job is done (which is already being done effectively and well) then issue your comments as creative input which can be ignored.

8. Ask regularly, 'How can I help you do your job better?' Also, 'Is there anything I need to know?'

9. Keep review meetings short if all is well. They are good at their job so give them more time to find something else good to do.

10. Sign their expenses form without looking at it.

2 comments:

Rich R said...

good post! http://www.weloveouryouthworker.org.uk/index.php/the_charter is good if you employ youthworkers; point 7 seems to be much neglected I think.

Kev Webb said...

Like the post.

Can I add "Back them in public, rebuke them in private"?

I particularly like point 2. One of the best managers that I have had, told me that he would rather that I asked for forgiveness, than for permission.