How do I hold people accountable in a fair and reasonable way?
November 29, 2013 3:00 PM Subscribe
Over the summer I was promoted to Art Director at my small company (15 people total). I've never been a director before, and so far things have been going really well, but I feel like I'm still on shaky ground when it comes to dealing with people when they've made mistakes. What are you supposed to do and say when someone screws up and you want them to be held accountable but you also want to treat them like the human being they are?
In general, I give very clear instructions and go out of my way to make guides and manuals so my coworkers do not need to have me stand over them when they make a decision or move forward with a project. Every now and then something goes awry and my policy is typically to give feedback right away so that we can move forward as quickly as possible and get back on the same page.
Two of the people I work with directly are not designers and do not always infer things that the rest of my staff does. One of these people is the manager of the other. Today I discovered that because of instructions given by the manager, the assistant has been using the wrong graphics on a site for the past month without my knowledge, which is a bummer because the graphics look lousy and make us look bad as a result. We've talked about this issue a few months ago, and I made sure to divvy up files into subfolders so it was super clear where stuff should be used. Since this is not the first time this has happened, I shot off this email to both:
"Hey, just noticed that graphics from Platform A are being used on Platform B. Those graphics should not be used anywhere other than A because they are too small and not the right file type, so they end up getting resized and don't look very nice. In the future, I will gladly make you copies of graphics for A to use on other sites, and starting Monday let's revisit what needs to be used where and why. I know you may have planned to post more A graphics this weekend based on what I see on B, so go ahead and don't change those plans, but Monday we'll start fresh and revise our posting policies."
Manager wrote me and said that she was not aware that those graphics weren't okay to use, which, okay, fine, you forgot we've had lots of convos about this and that happens. All in all, no big deal, mistake was made, let's fix it and move on. I don't think they're bad people for making the mistake, but I do need their help in fixing said mistake so it doesn't happen again. Somehow I get the impression though that both the manager and the assistant are now pissed off at me. I get that I emailed them both during a holiday, and I get that to them this is probably not a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things it's the 5th time in two months that I've discovered that something is not being used correctly despite multiple efforts on my part to make sure that both parties involved know exactly where stuff should go and that bugs me. (I mean, naming something ForPlatformAOnly.jpg is pretty clear to me, but maybe I'm wrong.)
Am I in the wrong here? Whenever I give feedback I try to make sure that I take ownership of anything that I could have done wrong so that it's not me saying "you did a bad thing". Our office is small enough that we're fairly closely-knit, but I second guess my managing style because of that and feel weird when I hold someone accountable.
In general, I give very clear instructions and go out of my way to make guides and manuals so my coworkers do not need to have me stand over them when they make a decision or move forward with a project. Every now and then something goes awry and my policy is typically to give feedback right away so that we can move forward as quickly as possible and get back on the same page.
Two of the people I work with directly are not designers and do not always infer things that the rest of my staff does. One of these people is the manager of the other. Today I discovered that because of instructions given by the manager, the assistant has been using the wrong graphics on a site for the past month without my knowledge, which is a bummer because the graphics look lousy and make us look bad as a result. We've talked about this issue a few months ago, and I made sure to divvy up files into subfolders so it was super clear where stuff should be used. Since this is not the first time this has happened, I shot off this email to both:
"Hey, just noticed that graphics from Platform A are being used on Platform B. Those graphics should not be used anywhere other than A because they are too small and not the right file type, so they end up getting resized and don't look very nice. In the future, I will gladly make you copies of graphics for A to use on other sites, and starting Monday let's revisit what needs to be used where and why. I know you may have planned to post more A graphics this weekend based on what I see on B, so go ahead and don't change those plans, but Monday we'll start fresh and revise our posting policies."
Manager wrote me and said that she was not aware that those graphics weren't okay to use, which, okay, fine, you forgot we've had lots of convos about this and that happens. All in all, no big deal, mistake was made, let's fix it and move on. I don't think they're bad people for making the mistake, but I do need their help in fixing said mistake so it doesn't happen again. Somehow I get the impression though that both the manager and the assistant are now pissed off at me. I get that I emailed them both during a holiday, and I get that to them this is probably not a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things it's the 5th time in two months that I've discovered that something is not being used correctly despite multiple efforts on my part to make sure that both parties involved know exactly where stuff should go and that bugs me. (I mean, naming something ForPlatformAOnly.jpg is pretty clear to me, but maybe I'm wrong.)
Am I in the wrong here? Whenever I give feedback I try to make sure that I take ownership of anything that I could have done wrong so that it's not me saying "you did a bad thing". Our office is small enough that we're fairly closely-knit, but I second guess my managing style because of that and feel weird when I hold someone accountable.
You are not wrong at all. In my management experience, I respond very nicely the first two times after a mistake is made. If the same mistake (or type) is made again, then it becomes very clear that this employee just does not respond to "nice" and the tone must change. You need to sit these folks down and say that, in a professional manner.
"We've discussed this numerous times. I even titled these folders as such to help you remember. Yet these errors are still being made. Please get together and come up with a plan that will stop this type of error. We will meet again tomorrow so I can review the plan with you and move forward."
Then document the meeting with notes in their folders. Follow up with a summary to them via email. If the errors keep happening, then you'll need to escalate. Holding them accountable is your job, and all you need to do is figure out how to do that in your own Voice. That's how you develop your management style.
posted by raisingsand at 3:10 PM on November 29, 2013 [6 favorites]
"We've discussed this numerous times. I even titled these folders as such to help you remember. Yet these errors are still being made. Please get together and come up with a plan that will stop this type of error. We will meet again tomorrow so I can review the plan with you and move forward."
Then document the meeting with notes in their folders. Follow up with a summary to them via email. If the errors keep happening, then you'll need to escalate. Holding them accountable is your job, and all you need to do is figure out how to do that in your own Voice. That's how you develop your management style.
posted by raisingsand at 3:10 PM on November 29, 2013 [6 favorites]
Am I in the wrong here?
No, absolutely not. In fact, you sound like a wonderful leader and the type of manager that I enjoy working for.
You are doing pretty much everything right here - from giving clear instructions in the form of manuals and guides, to simplifying policies for employees, to giving immediate feedback when something goes wrong and helping find a better solution. The managing employee who made this mistake is in the wrong, not you.
On Monday, I would sit down with both employees (the assistant and his/her manager) and help them work through the errors they made and correct the site. Ask them what about the policy confused them and listen to their suggestions for ways to make everything even easier to understand. Then, document the policy (Platform A graphics v. Platform B graphics) and the conversation you had about it with them in an email to both of them. Do this (esp. the documentation part) whenever you have problems in the future with people "forgetting" your instructions. If it happens again refer back to the email so that they can be reminded that they goofed up and forgot about something again.
If you feel the need to reprimand them for this issue (five times in two months seems unacceptable to me), I would do this one-on-one with the managing employee to avoid the managing employee "losing face" with his/her assistant. It's okay to say that things like this cannot keep happening so frequently.
To mitigate the whole "I get the impression though that both the manager and the assistant are now pissed off at me" thing, I would just be kind and polite (as I'm sure you usually are!) during your meeting and thank them for working with you to sort this out.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 3:12 PM on November 29, 2013
No, absolutely not. In fact, you sound like a wonderful leader and the type of manager that I enjoy working for.
You are doing pretty much everything right here - from giving clear instructions in the form of manuals and guides, to simplifying policies for employees, to giving immediate feedback when something goes wrong and helping find a better solution. The managing employee who made this mistake is in the wrong, not you.
On Monday, I would sit down with both employees (the assistant and his/her manager) and help them work through the errors they made and correct the site. Ask them what about the policy confused them and listen to their suggestions for ways to make everything even easier to understand. Then, document the policy (Platform A graphics v. Platform B graphics) and the conversation you had about it with them in an email to both of them. Do this (esp. the documentation part) whenever you have problems in the future with people "forgetting" your instructions. If it happens again refer back to the email so that they can be reminded that they goofed up and forgot about something again.
If you feel the need to reprimand them for this issue (five times in two months seems unacceptable to me), I would do this one-on-one with the managing employee to avoid the managing employee "losing face" with his/her assistant. It's okay to say that things like this cannot keep happening so frequently.
To mitigate the whole "I get the impression though that both the manager and the assistant are now pissed off at me" thing, I would just be kind and polite (as I'm sure you usually are!) during your meeting and thank them for working with you to sort this out.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 3:12 PM on November 29, 2013
You are not in the wrong. Let them be pissed if they are pissed. Criticism, even the most constructive criticism, can be upsetting. Stay calm, courteous and focused on doing the right thing for the project. DON'T apologize for wanting things to be done right.
"It's important that the correct graphics be used. What caused this confusion? [listen - maybe there's something going on you don't know, maybe user Q can't upload graphic Y because it hasn't been updated with the new logo or whatever] How can we get the tools we need / make sure this is always clear to whoever is doing the work?"
If the solution (filing the graphics in a way that makes sense to the end user, typing up a reminder to put up on someone's desk, whatever, etc) falls to them, they will be more likely to remember it. And in this way they are helping you solve a problem, rather than you holding their hands. Make sure you go over the process together. Maybe just watch things closely for a few days afterwards so you can immediately address any errors.
posted by bunderful at 3:18 PM on November 29, 2013
"It's important that the correct graphics be used. What caused this confusion? [listen - maybe there's something going on you don't know, maybe user Q can't upload graphic Y because it hasn't been updated with the new logo or whatever] How can we get the tools we need / make sure this is always clear to whoever is doing the work?"
If the solution (filing the graphics in a way that makes sense to the end user, typing up a reminder to put up on someone's desk, whatever, etc) falls to them, they will be more likely to remember it. And in this way they are helping you solve a problem, rather than you holding their hands. Make sure you go over the process together. Maybe just watch things closely for a few days afterwards so you can immediately address any errors.
posted by bunderful at 3:18 PM on November 29, 2013
No, you're not in the wrong. But I think you have to realise that in your position, not everyone will like you and some people will be pissed off with you. And it may be irrational or it may not have anything to do with you (and how do you know they're pissed off with you; is it more that you feel bad and are worried they are?), but it will happen because you're the one they answer to.
Now, it is really poor form on their part to consistently not do what is expected of them, particularly when it is clear what is expected of them and when you have gone to to the effort to ensure they know, and, frankly, I actually think it is a really big deal to use the wrong image given that it's happened multiple times. It's okay for you to be annoyed that they're blatantly not doing what they're supposed to be doing even if it makes them feel bad when you point it out.
If you're looking for alternatives for how to deal with this kind of stuff, maybe just having two quick face-to-face discussions about the issue in a casual manner rather than making it into a meeting/policy thing?
posted by heyjude at 3:31 PM on November 29, 2013 [5 favorites]
Now, it is really poor form on their part to consistently not do what is expected of them, particularly when it is clear what is expected of them and when you have gone to to the effort to ensure they know, and, frankly, I actually think it is a really big deal to use the wrong image given that it's happened multiple times. It's okay for you to be annoyed that they're blatantly not doing what they're supposed to be doing even if it makes them feel bad when you point it out.
If you're looking for alternatives for how to deal with this kind of stuff, maybe just having two quick face-to-face discussions about the issue in a casual manner rather than making it into a meeting/policy thing?
posted by heyjude at 3:31 PM on November 29, 2013 [5 favorites]
Hi, ex Art Director here. You've handled this really well. In fact, you're probably a little too polite and forgiving. I think these guys are taking the piss quite frankly, this kind of stuff used to happen to me when I was young, female, blonde etc and eager not to put people off. Some took me as a pushover. Eventually I learnt not to care about whether or not they liked me, all that mattered was the work.
At this point, I would be using the holiday to your advantage. You've established they know exactly what to do, they're choosing to not do it. I would say, well due to you consistently ignoring written instructions, we're on track to miss our deadline. You still need to make up the time to get work delivered by X date. If this involves you working over Thanksgiving, so be it but either way I expect this on my desk by xxxx. Next time it's in your best interest to follow instructions. If you miss the deadline, prepare to be accountable for this in a meeting with (CD, MD whomever).
It's time to shut this down...
posted by Jubey at 4:14 PM on November 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
At this point, I would be using the holiday to your advantage. You've established they know exactly what to do, they're choosing to not do it. I would say, well due to you consistently ignoring written instructions, we're on track to miss our deadline. You still need to make up the time to get work delivered by X date. If this involves you working over Thanksgiving, so be it but either way I expect this on my desk by xxxx. Next time it's in your best interest to follow instructions. If you miss the deadline, prepare to be accountable for this in a meeting with (CD, MD whomever).
It's time to shut this down...
posted by Jubey at 4:14 PM on November 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
Not in the wrong. BUT did you really have to contact them about it during their holidays? I'd be pissed if my boss did that unless it was actually urgent. You have given them a couple of days to worry about something that they can't actually do anything about yet. A message on Monday morning or even Sunday night could have surficed.
posted by Kerasia at 4:28 PM on November 29, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Kerasia at 4:28 PM on November 29, 2013 [3 favorites]
I believe you were too polite. If you've talked about this specific issue before not mentioning that not only lets them off easy but avoids the fundamental issue: ignoring your prior direction.
Given the true nature of the infraction — ignoring prior direction — contacting them over the holiday is appropriate.
I do wonder why you contacted both of them, however, if there is a clear manager-underling relationship. It depends on how past communication has been handled, but from my reading the manager screwed up most and should be taken to task for it. The assistant just followed manager's orders.
posted by wemayfreeze at 4:43 PM on November 29, 2013
Given the true nature of the infraction — ignoring prior direction — contacting them over the holiday is appropriate.
I do wonder why you contacted both of them, however, if there is a clear manager-underling relationship. It depends on how past communication has been handled, but from my reading the manager screwed up most and should be taken to task for it. The assistant just followed manager's orders.
posted by wemayfreeze at 4:43 PM on November 29, 2013
I think you did great, one thing: you forgot we've had lots of convos
Always follow up with emails. Paper trails are important when you're managing people for all sorts of reasons.
posted by smoke at 5:42 PM on November 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
Always follow up with emails. Paper trails are important when you're managing people for all sorts of reasons.
posted by smoke at 5:42 PM on November 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
The phrasing you used is great, but next time, you should have the conversation in-person or via phone from the start, rather than a one-way communication over email. If you do it in realtime, they will feel more comfortable explaining how this mistake happened. This will avoid them feeling resentful, and will also help you ferret out the root cause.
Maybe they got a conflicting instruction from someone else about where to use the A vs B graphics. Maybe they heard that mobile traffic is increasing and now it is important to reduce the size of all graphics, so they used the smaller images. Maybe they are using a bulk uploader which keeps uploading images that they did not intend to upload. Maybe they thought they were uploading to platform A when they actually were uploading to platform B.
If you do this over email, they will be too embarrassed to explain this over email. They will feel like that just sounds like an excuse. So they'll stay silent, but they'll feel resentful.
If you do it in-person, they will feel comfortable explaining their reason.
posted by cheesecake at 5:54 PM on November 29, 2013 [4 favorites]
Maybe they got a conflicting instruction from someone else about where to use the A vs B graphics. Maybe they heard that mobile traffic is increasing and now it is important to reduce the size of all graphics, so they used the smaller images. Maybe they are using a bulk uploader which keeps uploading images that they did not intend to upload. Maybe they thought they were uploading to platform A when they actually were uploading to platform B.
If you do this over email, they will be too embarrassed to explain this over email. They will feel like that just sounds like an excuse. So they'll stay silent, but they'll feel resentful.
If you do it in-person, they will feel comfortable explaining their reason.
posted by cheesecake at 5:54 PM on November 29, 2013 [4 favorites]
Yeah, maybe you're a wee bit too nice if this is multiple errors of the same type in a short time.
The thing I actually picked up on right away being a military type is something else, though. If the one person is a manager, treat them like it / make them live up to it. Stop talking to the other person (beyond being sociable, of course.) Bring in this manager, and put it just like DarlingBri said.
It's not your job to tell the manager how to fix it. Your job is to say what you want the outcome to be. SHE tells YOU what her plan to make that happen is, and is responsible if it doesn't work. It's also her job to break it to her person that they screwed it up.
Don't worry if she's pissed at you for it. In the long run, people respect you a lot more for being predictable and sticking to your standards, making you all successful than they will if you're a pushover. Besides, managers get called on days off. Them's the breaks.
(The other one, you probably shouldn't be calling at home at all. That's Manager's job if she feels it necessary.)
posted by ctmf at 8:03 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
The thing I actually picked up on right away being a military type is something else, though. If the one person is a manager, treat them like it / make them live up to it. Stop talking to the other person (beyond being sociable, of course.) Bring in this manager, and put it just like DarlingBri said.
It's not your job to tell the manager how to fix it. Your job is to say what you want the outcome to be. SHE tells YOU what her plan to make that happen is, and is responsible if it doesn't work. It's also her job to break it to her person that they screwed it up.
Don't worry if she's pissed at you for it. In the long run, people respect you a lot more for being predictable and sticking to your standards, making you all successful than they will if you're a pushover. Besides, managers get called on days off. Them's the breaks.
(The other one, you probably shouldn't be calling at home at all. That's Manager's job if she feels it necessary.)
posted by ctmf at 8:03 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, you don't have to hide the fact that YOU are pissed about the error. Sometimes that's what it takes. Just don't be abusive or unprofessional about it.
posted by ctmf at 8:21 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by ctmf at 8:21 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
What you said was fine, but correcting people should be done in person or phone, not by e-mail, for two reasons: (1) Tone almost never comes through right in e-mail, and so things are often read differently than they were intended; and (2) e-mail is one-way -- the reader has no opportunity to ask a followup question, or explain, or even apologize. It seems faster when you're sending it; but as you see, it causes ambiguity and aggro in the long run.
Unless they were working on the page on the holiday, such that the e-mail was likely to prevent additional imminent mistakes, it would have been better to wait until you saw them in person. You could have calendared a brief meeting or call for yourself and the manager for first thing Monday morning -- not only could you then control the messaging, but hopefully it would get through to her that it was a big enough deal to schedule the time.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:35 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Unless they were working on the page on the holiday, such that the e-mail was likely to prevent additional imminent mistakes, it would have been better to wait until you saw them in person. You could have calendared a brief meeting or call for yourself and the manager for first thing Monday morning -- not only could you then control the messaging, but hopefully it would get through to her that it was a big enough deal to schedule the time.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:35 PM on November 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think all the above advice is good, but I'm confused about one big part of your question:
posted by Room 641-A at 9:58 PM on November 29, 2013
Manager wrote me and said that she was not aware that those graphics weren't okay to use [ ... ] Somehow I get the impression though that both the manager and the assistant are now pissed off at me. (emphasis mine)Unless you've left something out, I don't understand why you think they are both pissed at you. No one likes to be confronted by their boss about a mistake, of course, but it sounds like maybe you're personalizing this a little. It sounds like your instincts are good. Continue to execute, with confidence!
posted by Room 641-A at 9:58 PM on November 29, 2013
What to you is a straightforward correction may feel like serious criticism to them. I'm a female manager, and have had this happen many times, especially when promoted from within. It's okay for people to be upset with you. Your job is to correct it when things aren't right.
Keep in mind that you got promoted because you're smart and competent, and not everybody is as smart and competent as you. Help people find ways to do the job well, notice and praise work done well, and continue to correct work not done or done poorly.
posted by theora55 at 10:03 AM on November 30, 2013
Keep in mind that you got promoted because you're smart and competent, and not everybody is as smart and competent as you. Help people find ways to do the job well, notice and praise work done well, and continue to correct work not done or done poorly.
posted by theora55 at 10:03 AM on November 30, 2013
Your wording was fine, but I agree that you shouldn't have sent this on a holiday weekend (or any weekend). Probably would have been better to discuss separately with the manager, so as not to seem to be reprimanding them in front of their direct report.
posted by yarly at 4:08 PM on November 30, 2013
posted by yarly at 4:08 PM on November 30, 2013
I think your email was great and I personally find it easier to communicate trickier stuff that way so I can 'fine tune' my wording. I did wonder if the worker did actually apologies to you? I hear she/he forgot but they still cocked up and you have met them more than half way, they sound lucky to have you.
posted by tanktop at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2013
posted by tanktop at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:05 PM on November 29, 2013 [7 favorites]