I have an employee that I have been treating as a young sister and mentoring. I am her boss and it seems she is now mistaking that sisterhood to mean she can do almost anything. She is now disrespecting me and choosing to ignore some of the work that I assign her.
I am getting so fed up with her and I am wondering whether having her fired is the only way to end it. She is no longer valuing or appreciating my time and effort in mentoring her. How can I deal with this please? – MD
Dear MD
This is a sad but common problem that results from bringing one’s subordinates close and making them feel like they are one of you. There is nothing wrong with socialising with them and caring about them – but it becomes wrong when they fail to draw the line like this.
You need to cut those lines and start detaching yourself from her so that she knows you are the boss. It is not a situation where you tell her that from today onwards we are no longer going to be as close as we used to be. You just need to drift away from her bit by bit and get her to see the picture that you are not on the same level.
You do not want to be a fierce boss – but at the same time you don’t want to be so friendly to your subordinates that they end up putting you in their same league. Engaging in some low debates and arguments with them can lower you to their level, don’t give in to some unfruitful discussions with them.
Learn to manage people as an MD and you will do just fine. It is a delicate balance to maintain – but you will learn by experience. When you know how to manage them you will get to know that there are people like your mentee that you cannot treat as a sister because they will overstep the boundary. You may treat someone else exactly the same and she goes on to maintain the respect. – Aunty Lisa
Post published in: Lifestyle