In Order To Lead, You Need To Know How To Listen

Bosses & Owners, Colorado, Crazy Requests, Denver, Ignoring & Inattentive, Office, USA | Working | May 28, 2020


I am one of three assistant directors at our company who report to our lead director. We have a team of about twenty employees who all four of us oversee. At the end of the day, each employee submits their production numbers and data which we report for our entire office.

Today, my role is to take everyone’s numbers at the end of the shift. An employee on their first day has not been properly tracking their production. I turn to our lead to ask how to record that.

Me: “Hey, [Lead], [New Guy] didn’t record his info correctly. How do you want me to report his numbers?”

Lead: “Have you gone over the training with him again?”

It has been roughly ten seconds since the new guy has told me he did not properly record.

Me: “Um, no, I’m just trying to fill out tonight’s report and I need to know what I should put in for his numbers.”

Lead: “Why haven’t you done that yet? If someone isn’t doing their work properly, you need to make sure you go over the training with them again!”

Me: “I understand that, but right now I need to get this report filled out and sent in in the next few minutes so this issue is pressing.”

Lead: “What I don’t understand is why you haven’t gone over the training with him again?!”

It has now been roughly thirty seconds since I noticed this problem. Our training for new hires usually takes over an hour and even a quick refresher would take at least twenty minutes.

Me: “That’s not really what I’m asking. I need to know how—”

Lead: “You should know how to train new people. Stop being defensive and do your job.”

They stormed out of the room.

I ended up having to contact our project manager to figure out how to report the discrepancy in the numbers. Later, I checked with the other assistant directors to find out who had trained the new hires that morning. It was the lead director.