Supervisors can’t always be present for their teams, especially if their staff is located in multiple locations. In the absence of on-site leadership, performance can falter, and others may see it as their responsibility to report others’ transgressions to the boss. If you’re the supervisor, it puts you in a tough position to address behavior you didn’t witness.
It’s better to be proactive about the circumstances and hold a team meeting to develop — and agree upon — group norms. As the leader, you can also set the expectations for performance.
But the most important step is also determining what will happen when someone violates those norms, even in a small way. (e.g., if timeliness is important, what will happen if someone arrives late?) The group needs not only permission but also a clear expectation that everyone will help enforce the agreed-upon standards. The supervisor should only be involved when something escalates or when a correction is persistently ignored.
If you’re the boss and someone complains to you about the minor behavior of another, do not address it unless you want to be in the middle forever. Fictional Ted Lasso knew this when he let senior player Roy Kent address star Jamie Tartt’s bullying of the kit man. Roy came to Ted to complain, but Ted put it back on Roy to handle, thus modeling how minor conflicts should be addressed.
You can’t be everywhere all the time. When you are present, use your energy to create norms and expectations that will be carried out without you.
