The Dangers of Pushing People Too Hard

Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.

  Career Development   Communications Management   Talent Management  

It’s not easy managing others. It’s especially hard for newly minted managers faced with daily decisions likely to alienate people who were once their co-workers. Even seasoned managers agonize over their decisions. A major one is knowing how far to push the people under you.

Many aggressive IT managers intent on building their own careers push their employees beyond their limit. The reasons are always the same: to comply with a CEO’s demanding requests; pressure to complete projects on time and under-budget; and keeping up with an increased production schedule to meet customer demands. Unfailingly, managers fail to consider the results of these actions, which are always negative.

Initially, no one balks when asked to do more than is expected of them. Two or three more hours of work a couple of times a week can be tolerated. Even an occasional Saturday is bearable if it gets an obnoxious but big-pocketed customer off your back. It might even be a relief to escape Saturday chores at home. And loyal staffers will probably consider the extra work as a good way to score points with you.

But everyone has a limit. What was considered fun inevitably turns into a burden, a cause of stress, tension or divisive intrusion, especially by your workers’ friends or spouses. In short, people resent being pushed beyond their limits. After several months, …

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