Leadership Help...

[kjkzzz]

Hi all - I'm new to the forums.

My Question:

I'm new to managing / leading people, and have a question:


One of my employees, at a weekly company meeting, said she attended a seminar, and we are all now required (by her) to fill out a questionnaire (I didn't hear about this beforehand).

The questionnaire is about goal setting: What goals did we fail at last year, what are our goals for next year, how to we plan to reach those goals, etc.


My first instinct was to feel a bit....shall we say, emasculated, and had a strong reaction against filling out these forms. Deep down, I think it signals a failure on my part to provide strong enough leadership for the team.

This employee will be mad/hurt if I refuse to follow along in her project. However, there has long been an undercurrent of a power struggle in the making for a while now between her and I, with her acting like "the boss" in the company.


GIVEN THIS INFO:

How would you all handle this situation?

How do *you* deal with an employee who's become overly aggressive in your company? In this case: would you fill out her forms? Would you handle it in the next company meeting, or handle it privately. What would you say to this person?


Thanks for the advice.

Jay

[KristineS]

I would call her in privately and let her know that you run things, not her, and that projects like this should be cleared with you before being broadcast to the group at large. I'd also ask what this is supposed to accomplish. Once the forms are filled out what do you do with them? How is this going to help the company as a whole get better and accomplish more. Try to establish what her motivation is for wanting to do this in the first place.

If you can establish a valid reason for completing the forms, and if you can see where it could help the company move ahead, I'd let the exercise proceed. I would, however, make it clear to this employee in private, and all the employees in public that any future projects of this sort must be cleared with you first. Let everyone know that you appreciate people wanting to make the company better and taking initiative, but the buck stops with you.

If it simply appears to be a power grab, and there's no valid reason for completing the forms, I'd squash it. It is your job as the boss to set the goals and make sure resources are being spent in the most productive way possible. If these forms aren't meeting that criteria, then it's time to move on to something that does.

[vangogh]

I'm thinking the issue isn't really these forms. If you're in charge then take this person aside and let them know. Whether you fill out the form or not isn't going to change anything. Talk to this person and let them know that you're the one in charge and they need to respect that and act accordingly.

[huggytree]

sounds like she's practicing for a leadership position..ive seen these types of people before and they usually get a slight leadership position w/o extra pay...they do it for free

maybe you should give her some extra responsibilities w/o pay

there is a neg and a pos way to look at this...she cares alot about the company and wants to do extra. that doesnt make her a bad worker...it may make her a better than average worker.

you definately have to talk with her privately. Maybe her idea isnt a bad one. Maybe she's just excited about the class she took and what she learned.

[thx4yrtym]

Jay,

What is her position in the company? Her responsibilities?

I would explain in private as others have suggested and I would tell her that everyone will be informed that in the future projects or what ever you choose to call this will be brought to you for consideration. This way you are practicing what you preach by giving her a heads up and not blindsiding her with it even though she was the one that was in error in her approach in the first place.

Is there a possibility that you have created this environment?

Regards,

[tuitionsource]

Howdy neighbor. Am I reading this right? You are the owner of the business and one of your employees is giving you the business? I agree. Evaluate the process, see if it's worth it, put her in charge of it with no more pay, and let her know that she needs to work with you in the future before she roles out any more revolutionary ideas. Good luck.

[Harold Mansfield]

She definitely stepped on your toes, and you need to "mark your territory" , professionally of course, PDQ, or you risk losing the respect of your employees and having them go to her for decision making.
I would give her another chance to be a team player and act accordingly, but if this behavior continues...I would give her the Axe.

I'm not paranoid, but I think she is after you.

It's a dog eat dog world and she is trying you to see how far she can go. She has shown lack of respect for your leadership and is purposely attempting to discredit you, and show that she is a better leader.

There are ways to show leadership ability, and still show respect for the boss..she did not do that.

[nealrm]

Jay,
I see two possibilities 1) She is striving to impress and is being overbearing; 2) she is trying to take control.

A simple private talk should help you to determine which possibility is true. The first can be molded into a very good employee in time. She may just needs some guidance in how to present new ideas. Make sure your door is always open and that you listen to her ideas. She may need to feel that you really do value her opinion.

If you determine that she is trying to gain control of the group, then get rid of her. She will never be happy and you be having your decisions always second-guessed.

[Evan]

Handle this privately. Having an aggressive person working with you is not a bad thing, so tread carefully. This person clearly wants some type of empowerment and sense of importance, regardless of whether they were hired to do it or not. Give her something to do.

On a side note, those questions are probably a good idea to answer even if only for yourself.