1. You failed to set clear expectations
Always provide subordinates with the “what” and the “why”. Explicit directions are needed and you should also provide a context for the assignment. The extra few minutes this takes may save you hours of frustration later.
2. Your deadlines just aren’t realistic
Is the task urgent? Even if it is, you still need to be mindful of how you communicate this to your employees. If they receive too many e-mails containing “ASAP” and “top priority”, then you cannot expect a fantastic result. This warning comes from the bizjournals.com website.
3. You don’t want to lose control
You may feel the need to have control over your product, brand, your time and your life. But by managing every tiny detail and constantly worrying about everything, you will become exhausted and frustrated. Remember also that just because work isn’t done exactly the way you would have done it, that doesn’t automatically mean the result is worse.
4. You let them delegate back to you
If a worker with an assignment keeps coming back to you with questions and audible moans or sighs, resist any urge to take the task off them. Just smile and ask what they themselves think about the task in hand.
5. You never appreciate good work
Every positive contribution is a minor victory. This applies to every worker in your organisation. So when someone does a great job, make sure you mention it. Your confidence in people will prove contagious: your staff will then be eager to do and learn even more.
-jk-