1   Author:  Bhavin  Gandhi  |  Contact  information:  http://BhavinGandhi.com    

How to deal with the frustration of your employees? by Bhavin Gandhi

We are all humans, and we all have moments of disappointment when things don’t go our way. And I am sure, as a manager, you must have encountered these situations often, when your employees are feeling down for not accomplishing something that they have set their target on. Although most employees can easily navigate through these small bumps, sometimes you need to jump in when you see these opportunities. Having a quick one-on-one chat with your employees during these tough times would soften the blow, and lead them to a quicker recovery. So, what should you talk about during these times? Following are some of my advice…..

Appreciate their work: When you sit down with your employee to analyze the issue, you must not forget to appreciate their hard work first. Tell your employees that their work is highly valuable and their efforts are highly appreciated. This kind of conversation starter will put your employees at ease before discussing their issues. If I were their manager, I would say something like this - “These kind of issues keep on happening, and despite our best efforts, sometimes things don't work out our way. But look at what you have accomplished, you tried something new, and got new experience, that’s what is important. After all, you can't be perfect at everything, right?" This approach will not only let your employees know that you care, but it will also ease their mood before having the actual conversation.

Walk through the issue: Once you have soothed the attitude of your employee, you can then get back to the business. Now, try to talk to your employee about the issue at hand and walk through it with them. By walking through the entire scenario again, you will get some good insight on the issue, and might be able to provide your valuable feedback to your employee. If he/she was expecting one outcome while other team members were expecting something else, then try to find out where did this disconnect come from? Were there some missing communications or interactions? Don't interrupt your employee in between or recommend any solutions, just yet. Try to listen to his/her side of the story and take your notes on what might have gone wrong, that's all.

Help them learn: Once you have completely listened to your employee and her side of the story, now it’s your time to help her think through the 'do-over'. Even though you are trying to help her, restrict yourself from coming up with any solution, just yet. Let her come up with her own solution to this problem. Ask her - "How can you handle it differently the next time?" Of course, the setback may have occurred even though she did everything right. So, try to ask her - "What were the factors outside of her control?" Try to help her gain a new perspective on these uncontrollable factors, so that she can handle them well in the future.

If you follow this three-part conversation while dealing with your employee's frustrations, then you will encourage your employees to take better steps next time, rather than acting on their natural desire to

2   Author:  Bhavin  Gandhi  |  Contact  information:  http://BhavinGandhi.com    

avoid such situations in the future.

Was this blog helpful? Do you have any other ideas that you can share with me here?

Thanks - Bhavin Gandhi

Bhavin Gandhi | February 16, 2015 at 7:30 AM | Tags: 21st century, Communication with employees, employee development, Employee engagement, Employee frustration, Employee growth, Help your employees, Leaders of Tomorrow, Management | Categories: 21st Century,Leadership, Management | URL: http://wp.me/p103Cm-dx