Are We Setting People Up to Fail?

This happens when managers are assigned outcomes without being given the tools, resources or decision-making power needed for success. It often occurs during staffing shortages, when employees are stretched thin, or when workplace culture becomes vague, informal or sloppy. Even with top performers and the best intentions, the results can lead to frustration, burnout and avoidable failure.

Consider an employee tasked with overseeing the guest experience but given no real authority over the reception area, often the first in-person connection with customers, business partners and community leaders. Without authority, that responsibility is hollow. The manager cannot train, reward or correct front-line staff. They cannot improve the workspace, update systems or invest in education that would make the job easier or more effective.

Yet when problems arise, that same manager is expected to explain what went wrong, without sounding defensive or ungrateful. This dynamic is an efficient way to lose both the manager and the employees on the front line.

I’ve also seen workplace cultures where “everyone is responsible” for certain tasks – keeping shared spaces clean, acknowledging customers, creating a positive environment, maintaining company vehicles or behaving professionally as a representative of the organization.

If these expectations don’t appear in job descriptions, onboarding or a clearly defined culture, why would we be surprised when “everyone” doesn’t follow through?

No matter the size of the organization, the rules are the same. People need clarity around expectations and the resources to meet them – time, funding, access to information and equipment, cooperation across departments and the authority to act.

Human resources can be the secret sauce behind innovation, reputation, quality control, profitability, customer experience and employee satisfaction. But when that sauce gets messy, we can’t expect “everyone” – or even “someone” – to clean it up without the structure, authority and support to do so. FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Bonnie Stevens is the editor of FBN. She is a career journalist and public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.