AboutDoug Staneart Expertise Doug Staneart can answer questions about gaining cooperation from, motivating, and influencing coworkers and employers. He is also an expert on how to avoid and resolve conflicts as well as other issues dealing with long term business relationships.
Experience
Doug Staneart has been a speaker and trainer for over ten years specializing in public speaking, leadership training, and team building. Doug is CEO of The Leader?s Institute® (Leadership Training) based in Dallas and author of the books 40 Ways to Influence People and Fearless Presentations. He has accumulated over 2700 hours of classroom coaching and training and began his career with Dale Carnegie Training® where he was recognized on numerous occasions for superior instruction.
Question Hi, I have been having trouble with an assistant manager for a few years but just lately has it gotten ridiculous. The main problem I'm having is the way she treats other employees, myself included. She is very quick to bite your head off and yell at you. I once left work an hour early by orders of the general manager. The next time I worked with her, she called me into her office and from the time i entered her office she yelled a LOT and wrote me up. I'm getting tired of it and I'm sure other employees are. I just feel like theres a more professional way of dealing with things instead of yelling at them and threatening them.
Another problem is the HUGE lack of organization and communication between my two managers. I dont really know how to bring these problems up and I dont realy know what to do about them. I know my dad is a project manager for a large company and he has never raised his voice at work and the stuff he deals with is a lot more serious. What should I do? Thanks.
Answer Michael,
Unfortunately, some managers believe that their job is to blow up like you are talking about in order to keep the employees in line. For some reason, they thinks this is what good managers do. You and I know that is dead wrong.
There is really not a lot you can do to change the person, because if you try, you will become an enemy (someone to look out for.) That will just make things worse.
When this manager explodes like before, try something like this. Pause... smile... and say something like, "Wow... I must have really hacked you off huh? My wife says I have that affect on people." Adding humor into a situation like that will diffuse it pretty well. You and I know that the manager is the one causing the problem, but if you point a finger at yourself, the manager will eventually see that she is the one with the problem.
If she has an character at all she'll get the picture before long, and she won't explode on you anymore.
