How to deal with the frustration of your employees?

by Bhavin Gandhi
We are all humans, and we all have moments of disappointment when things dont go our way. And I
am sure, as a manager, you must have encountered these situations often, when your employees are
feeling down for not accomplishing something that they have set their target on. Although most
employees can easily navigate through these small bumps, sometimes you need to jump in when you
see these opportunities. Having a quick one-on-one chat with your employees during these tough
times would soften the blow, and lead them to a quicker recovery. So, what should you talk about
during these times? Following are some of my advice..
Appreciate their work: When you sit down with your employee to analyze the issue, you must not
forget to appreciate their hard work first. Tell your employees that their work is highly valuable and
their efforts are highly appreciated. This kind of conversation starter will put your employees at ease
before discussing their issues. If I were their manager, I would say something like this - These kind
of issues keep on happening, and despite our best efforts, sometimes things don't work out our way.
But look at what you have accomplished, you tried something new, and got new experience, thats
what is important. After all, you can't be perfect at everything, right?" This approach will not only let
your employees know that you care, but it will also ease their mood before having the actual
conversation.
Walk through the issue: Once you have soothed the attitude of your employee, you can then get
back to the business. Now, try to talk to your employee about the issue at hand and walk through it
with them. By walking through the entire scenario again, you will get some good insight on the issue,
and might be able to provide your valuable feedback to your employee. If he/she was expecting one
outcome while other team members were expecting something else, then try to find out where did
this disconnect come from? Were there some missing communications or interactions? Don't
interrupt your employee in between or recommend any solutions, just yet. Try to listen to his/her side
of the story and take your notes on what might have gone wrong, that's all.
Help them learn: Once you have completely listened to your employee and her side of the story, now
its your time to help her think through the 'do-over'. Even though you are trying to help her, restrict
yourself from coming up with any solution, just yet. Let her come up with her own solution to this
problem. Ask her - "How can you handle it differently the next time?" Of course, the setback may
have occurred even though she did everything right. So, try to ask her - "What were the factors
outside of her control?" Try to help her gain a new perspective on these uncontrollable factors, so
that she can handle them well in the future.
If you follow this three-part conversation while dealing with your employee's frustrations, then you will
encourage your employees to take better steps next time, rather than acting on their natural desire to
1 Author: Bhavin Gandhi | Contact information: http://BhavinGandhi.com

avoid such situations in the future.

Was this blog helpful? Do you have any other ideas that you can share with me here?
Thanks - Bhavin Gandhi

Bhavin Gandhi | February 16, 2015 at 7:30 AM | Tags: 21st century, Communication with
employees, employee development, Employee engagement, Employee frustration, Employee
growth, Help your employees, Leaders of Tomorrow, Management | Categories: 21st
Century,Leadership, Management | URL: http://wp.me/p103Cm-dx

2 Author: Bhavin Gandhi | Contact information: http://BhavinGandhi.com