Latest / Prayer Before Work / They Say Your Junior Takes Too Many Breaks. The Work Is Getting Done. - Prayer Before Work
Transcript
- C0687: So one of your team members just came to you upset that someone else is taking too many breaks. And you honestly don't see the problem. Hey, this is Sean, and welcome back to Prayer Before Work. So a newer leader shared this situation with me. They're running a project with six people. One of the senior team members came to them frustrated that a junior teammate keeps stepping away. But the junior is getting their work done on time. Different roles, different workloads. So the leader explained that to the senior person, figuring that should settle it. But it didn't. The senior is still upset. And now the leader is wondering, Am I missing something? Well, maybe, and that's a good question to be asking, because in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs twenty verse five says the purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding is. We'll draw it out. Okay, deep water. What people are saying on the surface isn't always what's going on underneath. A complaint about breaks might really be about brakes, but it might also be about something harder to talk about. Maybe the senior feels like they're carrying more than their share and nobody notices. Maybe they're fielding calls and questions while the junior is away. Maybe they came up in a place where you didn't dare leave your desk, and watching someone else do it freely kind of stirs something up inside. Or maybe they just want to know that their leader takes them seriously. But you won't know until you draw it out. So instead of explaining your position again, try asking. Something like Help me understand how this is affecting you. And then listen longer than it might feel comfortable. Cause if it turns out that the junior's breaks are causing more work for the senior, well, now you've got a real issue and you can address it fairly. But if it's something else, like feeling overlooked, well, you have found the actual thing. And if it really does come down to wanting control over how someone else works. Well, you can say clearly and kindly that you judge people on their results and how they affect the team, and you're not going to manage anyone's minutes. Your instinct not to micromanage is a good one. Just make sure that in protecting one person's freedom you don't brush off another person's concern. Both of them need to know that you're paying attention. So let's pray. Well God leading people is harder than it looks from the outside. But give us the patience to listen before we explain. And Lord, help us hear what's underneath the words and give us the understanding to draw it out gently. Make us fair to everyone on our teams, the ones who speak up and the ones who don't, and help us lead in a way that builds trust instead of sides. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, now go make today count.