Employees can’t read your mind. A job description doesn’t set standards or tell the employee how you work or what you expect or when you expect it. You need to tell them – clearly and often. Most employees want to succeed, but they won’t know what a ‘job well done’ means to you unless you give them clear guidance and feedback along the way.
When you micromanage a capable employee – watch his every move, send constant reminders, ‘help’ him with every project, and constantly check on his progress – you are telling that employee that you don’t believe he can do the job without your help. You are saying, “I don’t trust you.” Trust your ability to evaluate your employee’s strengths and challenges, so you can trust your employee to complete the jobs you know he can do.
Let’s see – you are the employee, you’re going along doing your thing and your manager never says anything about your work product until the performance review and then suddenly you learn that some areas of your work are not up to par. Great! You never had a chance to improve – only to fail. Employees deserve a chance to improve. Tell them what needs to be corrected as soon as you know and give them that chance.