by Ron Perry

The American Heritage Dictionary defines frustration as “to prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; to cause discouragement or bafflement.” Prior to looking up the definition, I simply assumed that frustration was limited to an emotional state. I had never considered the fact that frustration could be a part of lack of productivity in the work place. As a manager who is learning how to manage, I have been sobered by the realization that employees are often frustrated because of their manager. In other words, frustrated employees often have frustrating managers. Following are several things that I have been recognizing in my own management that frustrate those whom I seek to lead and manage.

A leader that frustrates attempts to multitask while listening. As a manager, I often pride myself on my ability to multitask. For instance, in the midst of writing this article, I have answered the phone three times, answered four questions from folks who stepped into my office, and added three things to my own personal to-do list. Though at first it seems to me that I did all those things while writing this article, in actuality, I stopped writing this article to do those things. They happened close together and what seemed like on top of each other; but the reality is, I did not multitask.

My mistaken view of multitasking has led me to create a frustrating habit to those around me— attempting to multitask while listening. This happens every time I do “meetings” while I work or run an errand. It happens when I answer a phone call while answering e-mail. It also happens when I keep my eyes on my project before me and not on the person speaking to me. Notice, though, that I used the phrase “attempting to multitask.” I cannot fully succeed in listening unless I stop what I am doing and give the person talking to me my full attention. The frustrating aspect of trying to be a multitasking listener is that I subtly communicate a disinterest in the person talking to me. It is an amazing thought to realize that simply putting my pencil down, taking my eyes away from my computer screen, or even just scheduling a meeting at a specific time and looking and listening to the person talking to me in that meeting can encourage productivity.

A leader that frustrates attempts to be a mind reader. The other day, as I was headed out of my office building, one of the secretaries in my office was on the phone and trying to get my attention at the same time. I had overheard bits and pieces of her phone conversation, enough to realize that she had information that concerned me. I attempted to put those bits and pieces together in my mind and figured that I knew exactly what she was trying to get my attention for. I
thought I had read her mind and therefore did not need to stop and wait for her to finish her phone conversation. I waved her off and went about my business, proudly thinking I had read her mind without her telling me. As I left the building, I noticed a sense of despair and frustration in her eyes.

Two things occurred in my actions. First, I really did not know everything she had for me. Yes, I had put bits and pieces together; but there were some specific details that she had that I did not. My attempt to mind read had limited her from being able to complete her job as a secretary. Second, I communicated in a subtle way that her job of communicating to me as her boss was not important. If I could read minds, what was she needed for? The manager that attempts to read minds not only does damage to productivity but also to the people on his team.

A leader that frustrates makes inspections but does not give expectations first. For years I have heard the phrase, “Inspect what you expect!” I have discovered, perhaps because I am overzealous or maybe because I am impatient, that I regularly make inspections without ever giving expectations. Giving expectations takes forethought, planning, and time. Inspecting can be done quickly, proudly, and without much effort. The problem is that a team becomes frustrated when they continually hear what they did wrong but never had the opportunity to get it right to begin with. Recently, I found myself agitated over a particular area because of its condition. I was frustrated with the person in that area and in a brief moment came down on her with an inspection. Unfortunately, I had never first given her an expectation. Once again, I realized after the fact, that in a moment, I communicated that that particular area was more important than my teammate; and productivity was hindered.

It humbles me to realize that my team can be frustrated because of my leadership. Frustrating teammates is easy to do without fully realizing the devastation of the frustration. In fact, without thought, frustrating our teammates can become a mindless habit within our style of management that has the ability to slow down productivity. Do we have frustrated teammates around us? Perhaps we should each take a moment to evaluate and see if the problem could lie within us.