Sticky Supervisor Situation

birdgirl

We have an ee who supervises 5 field site managers, and indirectly, their site staff. This ee has a degree in an appropriate field but really has no "trench time". He worked his way into this position at the encouragement of our Exec. When we first heard rumbles that he is ineffective as a supervisor/trainer, I tried to see it in action, could not catch him "in the act" of poor leadership. The Exec encouraged me to see it as field staff who were not willing to accept a supervisor with less field experience them them.

Over time the rumbles have gotten louder, and field staff who usually do not gossip have come to me with complaints about his lack of supervisory skills, his obvious lack of knowledge regarding field staff responsibility and the appearance of preferential treatment. Staff do not want him in their centers and do not value or respect his authority. I have tried to casually be at field sites to see him in action, and again, he seems to perform well enough when I am there. The small infractions I have seen I document and discuss with him.

I am starting to lose good employees because they feel he does nothing yet maintains a fairly high-ranked position in our organization. The sticky point is our Exec is very close friends with this ee's wife (also an ee in a different program), hence the appearance of preferential treatment; and she seems unwilling to accept the info. The ee also lands great opportunities to be involved in (and fairly well compensated for) additional responsibilities that have nothing to do with his supervisory responsibilities, which adds to the appearance of preferred status.

How do I begin a performance improvement plan when the feedback I have is all from the ee's subordinates. I feel like I have been hearing this long enough that I need to do something. How do I base it on the feedback from "underlings"? How do I track improvement/lack of improvement when I cannot anonymously observe him? HELP!

NaeNae55

Things to think about:

-Does this supervisor understand that he is getting all of this negative feedback, or has it been pretty much under his radar so far?

-It is possible that a few grumbles have escalated simply as a means to target blame for general unhappiness, but that is usually the exception rather than the rule.

I would do a number of things. Not in any particular order:

I would make sure the supervisor understands the position, and get him into some serious managment classes. It can be presented in such a way that he sees it as a good way to move up. Also, no one likes the idea of subordinates complaining to their boss and making them look bad. Point out that even if he is innocent the EXEC is not going to like having this come back to him/her again and again.

I would also talk to the EXEC again and show him real numbers. Do a work up of the cost of turnover and show what it is costing the company. Do some research and show him/her the real cost of morale issues. At this point, it is immaterial if the original complaints were due to jealousy, misunderstanding, or actual bad supervision. Right now the complaints are showing that you have a serious morale and trust issue. Whether true or not, the employees believe it, and that makes it real enough to deal with it. Without action, things will only get worse. Get the EXEC to sign off on a good managment coaching class for the supervisor. You don't have to ask for his removal. Your attempts to help the supervisor succeed will help you, him, the EXEC and the employees. Let the EXEC know that you are just trying to help the supervisor succeed, and point out that if the EXEC wants to show good profits he needs a good crew. Good crews won't stay and help a company succeed, and may even damage it over time if no one listens to their point of view.

Finally, I would listen to the complainers. Make sure they know they are heard (best if you can get someone high up like the EXEC and the supervisor to listen in too). See if you can pin down specific examples of where the supervisor has fallen short. This is the real meat of the problem. If the rank and file cannot tell you specifics, how can you help them? Sometimes putting them on the spot makes them think. If something is really wrong, they will soon be able to come to you with specifics. Having specifics will also help the supervisor and the EXEC accept the situation and take steps to improve it.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Nae

sonny

Nae gives excellent advice. One thing I might add or question is have any of these complaining ee's have been directed or ever tried to talk to the supervisor or are they just going behind his back an coming to you? Chain of command issue. .

And I totally agree with Nae's comments re: specifics. .there aren't any that I can see. You need more FACTS than they have given you.

stilldazed

Agree with Nae. Confront the situations in a straightforward manner by letting the supervisor know in a nonconfrontational way that there is dissatisfaction among his staff, interview staff for specific examples, and provide concrete data about staff turnover (before & after) to the Exec. To keep everything supportive, you may suggest some sort of staff survey. Once you are armed with specific issues, complaints, and concerns, the three of you can work out some sort of development or corrective action program.

best wishes.

Paul in Cannon Beach

I guess I would start with a conversation with the supervisor. How aware is he that his employees are frustrated? Does he appear to want to improve the situation? What steps could he take? If you sense the supervisor is not aware of the problem or is not convinced that he needs to do anything about it, you may be in for a bumpy ride.

I'd be careful with your role in this given the supervisor is cozy with the exec. You may end up looking like the bad guy here.

I'm reading a short book by one of my favorite business authors Patrick Lenceoni called "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team". You might find some helpful information there.

Cheryl S SPHR

Do you ever utilize a 360 review? If so, this might be an opportunity to have this supervisor receive one that will give you feedback from all directions. With that information, you may be able to determine if there are "real" problems that need to be addressed or if there are opportunities to develop this person into a better manager.

Tough situation -- good luck!

Cheryl

CarolA

Do a 360, get the results. Find out the pluses (what is working well for the new mgr) and deltas ( things that need to improve or change). Assign a high level, internal mentor to work with the new manager. Create ST goals, the 3 most critical things that need to improve and then focus on LT goals.