The job of the supervisor is one of the most difficult and one of the most rewarding. It is a joy to take your team to a new level of performance. It is a joy to see people smile with confidence when they meet the new challenges that every day seems to bring.
The job of the supervisor is also one of the most unpleasant, when employees under your authority don’t seem to “get it.”
“I talked to them about that last month.I don’t know why they are still dong it that way.”
There is one simple test to determine if your efforts are truly helpful, or if they are just enabling.
Here it is:
“Did what I do for the employee change their behavior and the results they achieved, or not?”
If the answer is “Yes,” congratulations. You are an effective supervisor.
If the answer is “No,” then you need to reconsider what it is you do to get your employees to change behavior.
Because what you are doing right now is just enabling their undesired behaviors.
The difference between helping people and enabling bad behaviors is that if the results don’t change as a result of your advice, coaching, or counseling, you’re enabling the undesired behaviors.
That’s not helping.