Super Nanny to the Rescue! Redux

ED: This is an update of an earlier post I wrote in 2007. You can read the old one here.

Have you seen the popular TV series Super Nanny, where a “real” English nanny comes to the rescue of distraught parents?

Week after week the nanny smiles as she steps into house after house of screaming children and clueless parents. The kids are a mess, the parents are frazzled, and everyone has reached their boiling point. You can just imagine why these families dial 911 out of sheer exhaustion.

But it’s Super Nanny to the rescue! She sweeps into the situation, disciplines the kids, organizes workable programs, encourages the parents to become "real parents," and—in her no-nonsense way—she puts the family right again.

How can you keep from letting your business turn into a screaming, dysfunctional mess during times of challenge? Here are three simple rules, complements of Super Nanny:

 

Set the Rules – It’s difficult for your employees to follow the rules if there aren’t any. So, set some simple, firm guidelines with clear consequences, and then stick to them.

Set the Rules, then Let them be Followed – There is nothing worse than a micro-manager. Once you’ve made it clear what the rules and objectives are, sit back and let your employees follow them. Being clear up front about what is OK and what’s not allows you and your employees to relax and get on with the task at hand.

Be Nice – Super Nanny may be firm, but she’s also nice, and her loving attention is what carries the day more often than not. When your employees or colleagues are driving you crazy, Remember - you get a lot more with sugar than with salt. Treat others with respect and they’ll return the favor.

Sometimes leading people through change can be a lot like raising children. Employees want/need boundaries; clear expectations and loving attention from those in charge. If you remember the 3 keys to Super Nanny’s success, you can lessen the tantrums, screaming matches, and surly attitudes that often come with change.