Reliance

Dear Managers,

I'll tell you a generic story which seems to be repeated mistake with all managers...

A lot of delivery needs to be put out and the team agree to work overtime. All the stock are out. Another task has been completed. It's another day and again a lot of delivery needs to be out but it's fine because the team agree to work overtime. This goes on and on.

One day, the team refuses overtime, after all it's optional. What do you do? Get people from a different department, shorten the overtime hours or push your team to get as much done in their contracted hours?

It's not really a long-term solution.

That's really it. Covering the hours is never a long term solution compared to the number of bodies.

I always thought that with reliance comes trust - you can always count on that person. But it's not. Reliance is really a routine. Constantly falling on that person to help you get out of the rut until things goes array and then you blame him/ her/ them for letting you down so where's the trust there?

Maybe it's the other way, with trust comes reliance?

The managers know they can count on my friend to work on short notice ie to cover sickness. So there's a reliance. However my friend tends to be late for work, however it hasn't led to disciplinary or poor code of conduct. Is it because of the manager owes it to her therefore don't mind or there's trust?

It's a complicated subject.

Main point is don't rely on short term solutions because there is always a bigger a picture. Why constantly purify the water at the mouth of the river when you could sort it at the source?