How a manager can block a solution real fast!

I recently observed an interesting exchange between a manager and one of her team members. Well, I say interesting because I had my 'leadership glasses' on so I was looking to see what type of leadership traits this manager displayed.

The manager (who we'll call Susan) found some work pending as she toured the shop floor. When Susan enquired, team member A (who we'll call Joe) blamed fellow team member B (who we'll call Katy) who happened to be in the next aisle.

Susan promptly summoned Katy and in the presence of Joe and other team members, asked her if she was the the one who'd 'committed the crime', and why. Katy immediately began to explain why.

Before Katy could finish her sentence, Susan angrily told her to stop defending herself and instructed her to just admit or deny 'the alleged crime'. What followed was silence, Katy simply stopped talking.

Susan then brought up past mistakes Katy had made and asked her if she was really serious about her job. Katy remained silent.

Susan stomped off in anger and Katy walked away in silence. No consensus was reached on the way forward. No solution was found. The pending work remained...well pending!

What could Susan have done differently? Well she could have:

• Called Katy to her office or a more private space.

• Asked Katy what had happened (to get her perspective, reasoning and maybe even challenges).

• Allowed Katy to finish explaining and then follow up with a 'what' rather than a 'why' question, because 'why' questions tend put us in defence mode. For example, 'What factors did you consider when you made that decision?' rather than 'Why did you do that?'

• Postponed the meeting until she had calmed down and thought through how she would address Katy.

So whether you're a new manager or a seasoned one, I invite you not to judge Katy but ask yourself what you can learn, and then try it out!

If you have any questions or would like my support in addressing your challenges or indeed trying these out, feel free to reach out!