This past year has brought a variety of struggles. My job was a particularly negative aspect of my life. When I first started this job, I was told that I would need to have a “tough skin”, so i was prepared for harsh comments, but I was not prepared for what the job was actually like. The lack of clarity and standards always left me guessing (and my guesses were always wrong). I felt like I had to prove I was trustworthy at every instance instead of being respected and valued.

Before working this job, I had never really felt anxiety before. But every morning I was genuinely anxious and some days even afraid to go to work. I am typically someone who cares deeply about all aspects of my life — specifically my work. But it was too painful to care about this job. There were no rewards to caring. Your ideas were not heard, you questions unanswered. The office was so quiet I felt like I was suffocating. You really could hear a pin drop. When the main boss was out of the office, people finally felt like they could breath. But the environment didn’t get better. People only talked about how frustrated they were or how they had been wronged at the job. There were no secrets — yet there was no communication. I felt myself shutting down. Nervousness turned to silence, turned to bitterness, turned to me being annoyed most of the time. I was so irritable. I think I glared through most days. I was completely unheard and defiantly defensive.

Even though it was by far the worst job I have ever had, I did learn several things about leadership and management.

1. It starts at the top: There is something to grassroots action, but when it comes to a work environment, you as the leader set the standard. Be someone worthy of respect — i.e. be respectful towards others. Value their time, input, and talents. Make sure you are a leader — not a boss — by equipping your employees to succeed in their roles.

2. Set Expectations: As a supervisor, you should clearly define the expectations for your employees. If you want reports turned in by a certain time, make that deadline clear. Create a framework so your employee knows how to practically do their job. When something fails, look back on that framework to determine what went wrong. Expectations also go both ways. Decide with your employee what they expect of you and follow through on those items.

3. Give employees freedom over their work: When you hire someone, you should trust them to handle their job. Their judgement calls and decisions should be backed up and considered first. Refrain from nitpicking. Ask yourself, “Is this a change that needs to be made or is it a person preference of mine?” or “does this detail matter in the long run?”

4. A leader is there for their employees: Instead of looking at employees as peons to complete your mission, view yourself as a coordinator to help your employees succeed. What do they need to get the job done? Is it direction, resources, or training? Provide those things. If someone is drowning – save them. Do not get irritated that they can’t swim.

5. Back off: Do not breath down employee’s backs. If you feel like you have to micro manage, ask yourself why. Is a job not getting done? Are you too particular? If someone does need more attention, create further expectations. For example if people are not working enough hours, instead of watching security cameras and tracking their hours, have your employee create a schedule in advance and turn that into you. communicate what will happen if they fail to follow the schedule. This still gives the employee freedom, but sets expectations that both people understand.

6. Allow your employees to make mistakes: Obviously there are clear expectations that should be met, but you should allow employees to have creative freedom to make mistakes. When a mistake is made, communicate to your staff that you appreciate their efforts and are thankful that they trusted you to inform you of the mistake. Ask your employee what they would suggest to amend the error or ask them what they would do differently. As a leader, you should guide this conversation to be a productive learning experience for your employee.

There are just a few of the many things I learned this past year. Chin up. No matter how bad things are, they can get better. Take the good and learn from the bad.