This is a guest post by Amy Beth Miller, business writer and editor.
One morning when I was still a relatively new manager, Matt came to my desk and told me about a comic routine he had seen the night before. The comedian described how a child will constantly interrupt a parent who is on the phone: “Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!” Then the comedian asked the audience to imagine if they did that at work “Boss! Boss! Boss! Boss!”
“I realized, that’s what we do to you,” Matt said. Ah, he understood what my days felt like. Matt was always a smart guy, and I appreciated his empathy. I learned to become a smarter manager. As a new manager, some days I felt like I was running a gauntlet as I walked between the rows of desks on my way out of the office.
Although I was right in front of my staff all day, it seemed that everyone had a question or needed to tell me something as I walked out.
What I learned: Make time for each employee on your own schedule. It takes only a few moments to touch base and chat at that person’s workstation. When they know that you will have time to talk with them, they won’t be clamoring for your attention at other times.
How do you minimize interruptions from your staff?
[Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/airdiogo.]
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