Does Your Employee Understand Your Priorities?

An employee typically does what he or she believes to be important. Projects that are assigned will typically go to the “bottom of the pile”, unless very clear instructions about priorities are given. It is how we all work (not just our employees).  As managers, we set ourselves and our employees up for frustration if we are unclear as to where a project should go in regard to its importance.  If you leave such decisions up to the employee, you must be prepared to live with the results of the employee’s priorities not matching yours.

A word of warning: resist the temptation to label everything as a “hot priority”. Making everything a Top Priority Project mentally exhausts those who must operate within your topsy-turvy system. You will burn out your employees; they will either quit or reassign their own values to the project in order to maintain equilibrium.

When an employee is not doing what you believe you have asked them to do, it is time to ask yourself:
·    Did I make it clear that this was to be a priority?
·    Have I made too many things a “top priority”?
·    Have I helped my employee to understand what our true organizational priorities are?
·    Can the employee reasonably do all that I have asked them to do in the time available?

Help your employees to be successful by being realistic and clear as to what is important  in your practice.