A reader asks:
I manage a team and have run into a problem with “Bob,” one of my employees. Bob loves this job. Tells me almost every day how much he loves being at this company. But as much as he loves his job, he’s not very good at it. He’s gotten us incorrect information and turns in incomplete notes. He tries to tackle more and more projects, but it’s leading to him misinterpreting information, making erroneous conclusions, and generally dropping the ball. His colleagues are frustrated because they cannot rely on his research — it often results in more work for them as they fact-check his information.
He also peppers me with suggestions to improve the team — I’ve gotten up to 10 emails in a day: we should use Slack, we should get t-shirts and hats made, we should send autographed cards to people who write to us. Not bad ideas, per se — just not ideas that are particularly effective or actionable. He also wastes my time by giving me the blow-by-blow of his projects, and asking for my approval before taking next steps on them. I’ve let him know before if I don’t have time for lengthy conversations on these updates, but he just comes back later with more.
Bob has started asking if he can attend production meetings, which is absolutely not a part of his job, and I fear his overly-helpful nature will lead to him disrupting the meetings.
I guess what I’m asking is: how do I crush this man’s spirit in a productive way? He wants so badly to help and do more — but he’s messing up on basics of his job as it is. I need him to slow down, take more time with his actual work, and rein in all the extras, but I don’t want him to lose the drive that makes him a dedicated worker. And he is a dedicated worker — punctual, energetic, willing to help out in a pinch, always thinking about how to make things better. Do I break it gently and couch it in praise for his good attributes? Or do I take the no-nonsense approach and give him just the cold hard facts?
I answer this question over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here.
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