I find myself having to pick up where my assistant left off b/c this individual takes forever to get it done sometimes. Despite that I prioritize what’s important, my assistant starts to fall back on what’s important and everything starts to pile up. I deal with a very competent individual and do not think firing is the solution. I wish I can see these assignments get knocked out without having to get involved. Any suggestions?
Filed under: Time Management | Tagged: dealing with assistants, Time Management
I think you’re right in that firing is not the solution. But if you’re correct about the “competency” of this individual, then he/she should be capable of doing the basic requirements of the job without you having to get involved. So something else must be going on here. As an outside consultant and as a manager of others I would suggest the following 5 steps:
1) Stop bailing out this employee; its not your job to take over where he/she left off or prioritize what he/she should be doing on a daily basis. This person needs to take responsibility for their work performance. 2) Sit down with the employee and clearly state the expectations of the job and the consequences for not doing the job. Put all of this in writing so you can make reference to it later in case questions come up. 3) Define a timeline for improvement. Typically a 2-4 week window is sufficient time to give an employee a chance to turn things around. 4) Follow through with the consequences for poor performance that you outlined in your previous discussion. Whether its a verbal warning, written warning, probation or termination, if you don’t follow through your teaching your employee that they can get away with things without any accountability. 5) Ask your employee what they need from you to be successful in their role. Tell them they can use you as a resource but that you’re not their to bail them out anymore. As a final note, you may be tempted to find out if there are any personal issues affecting this person’s performance. Stay away from this temptation. You’re the boss; not their therapist.
The first thing that pops out in your posting is that you say you ” prioritize what’s important, my assistant starts to fall back on what’s important and everything starts to pile up”.
It seems that this person does not know how to manage their time effectively based on what you deem to be important. I would highly recommend you send them to a seminar that teaches them a system (like Fanklin Covey’s Focus Seminar), to teach them how to prioritize their time, based on what is important to people who are important to them (if that makes sense). If you say ABC is important, than based on your relationship with your employee, they should internalize that importance as well, and put the first thing first. Right now it seems they are not doing that. Maybe after a seminar and active relationship/time management on your assistants part, they will get back on track and plan their time more effectively. Just my two cents!