10 things that you should never ever tell your employees

An employee’s personal situation is not for public discussion. If an employee tells you family issues in confidence and it is not appropriate to share them with the team. They say it’s lonely at the top. Everyone in a management position has to resist the urge at times to confide in their teammates, but doing so isn’t fair to your teammates.

Here are other things never, ever to tell your employees.

1.Never tell one employee or a group of employees when one team member is having problems at work. If you need someone to re-train or mentor an employee, simply ask them to help with that specific task.

2.Don’t preface the request with, “After two months, Sarah still isn’t picking up the job. She’s struggling. I don’t know if she’s going to make it. Can you help?”

3.Never tell your employees another employee’s pay rate. Never tell your employees about your own job search, as badly as you might want to.

4.Never tell your juniors which higher-up leaders or peers or employees you like or respect and which ones you don’t.

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5.Let your employees guess about your conflicts with other managers if they want to; don’t talk about them!

6.Never tell your employees about your political aims inside the company or your quest to get a bigger title, more pay or more perks. It’s not appropriate and it’s unseemly to enlist your employees in your political campaign.

7.Never explain to your staff anything confidential on the basis that you trust one of your teammates more than their peers. This approach always backfires.

8.Never talk about one employee with other employees, gossiping about the employee’s personal problems, personality or quirks.

9.If you want to destroy trust on your team, the best way to do it is by gossiping about your own employees.

10.Never alert your employees that you’re unhappy with them as a group. If you do, as a group they will write you off and tune out whatever you say. If you as a leader are unhappy with your whole team, look in the mirror! You are doing one or several things wrong.

11.Never whisper to your staff that you hate your job. How can they sympathise with you? You took the job.

12.Never tell your employees when you feel the company has ripped you off, mistreated you or overlooked your contributions. Being a manager means bearing slights and insults on your own without your teammates’ support. They have their own headaches to deal with!

Your employees don’t get paid to be your therapist or your career coach. Bite your lip and say nothing when you feel pressure to spill the beans with your trusted employees, or just one especially-trusted teammate.

Keep your counsel and your dignity instead, and remember that leadership is a personal journey most of all.