I've noticed a pattern in the attitude of technical people throughout their careers., a rather strange but predictable pattern. They start out unsure and overwhelmed. They understand that they know virtually nothing and have so much to learn. But an interesting thing happens after two to three years. They start to get a little experience under their belts, and suddenly they think they're experts. They'll tell senior technical folks about all the terrible practices the project has and all the brilliant ideas they bring to the table that will fix everything. Thankfully, this rather annoying stage doesn't last forever. Eventually they actually do become experts and these opinions temper. They go from thinking they know everything to realizing that the more they learn, the more there is still to learn. Truly experienced people are cautious because they've been burned by mistakes too many times to feel 100% confident about anything. I went through this same transition myself, so I am not throwing shade at those young know-it-alls. I was one of them too. This is all well and good, but as a manager how do we deal with the person who is in the middle of that rather annoying developmental stage? That's what I'm going to try to tackle in this article.
The first step is to not think of them as a problem but rather as an opportunity. I know this might sound trite, but I really mean it. This is not your typical problem employee, and that's because this person's motivation comes from a different place. Their desire to upset the apple cart so to speak grows out of enthusiasm and a true passion to deliver the best results. They are simply getting carried away. This is not like your true problem people (I'm so tempted to call them problem children, but that seems a little too condescending even for me) whose insufferable behavior stems from negative qualities (laziness, dishonesty, incompetence, etc.). As managers, we need to recognize the difference and treat these folks differently. At the same time, we do have to realize that the problems they can cause are real. They step on people's toes, don't take criticism well, and demand to do things their way. It's our job to help them succeed, not because we're altruistic, but because if we can get them through this awkward stage, they will be a great asset to the company.
I remember standing in the office kitchen and overhearing a conversation where a young software engineer told his boss, "I didn't get your message about those changes because you emailed them to me instead of messaging me in Teams. I don't do emails." Yes, he actually said, "I don't do emails." This just about floored me, and it's not something I would ever think of saying to my boss. I don't get to choose to never read emails. That's crazy. Now this kind of behavior could have led to a performance improvement plan or even an eventual firing. But here's the thing. That young man was a talented software developer and one of the most hard-working people at the company. We don't want to get rid of him. We want to coach him.
And that's what this comes down to. When you see a person like this, you need to take the time to do some one-on-one coaching with them. However, I do want to warn you of one thing. Don't start this conversation by saying, "Hey you're doing this bad thing." Honestly, that's never a good way to start, but it's especially terrible to do with a young employee who already thinks they know better than you. Start with the good instead. Start by telling them that you love their enthusiasm, that you see great potential in them, and that they've got a lot of really good ideas. Only then should you hit them with the, "but there's a little bit of friction going on, and I think I can help make your life easier" (or something like that). It should go without saying that this needs to sound genuine and not scripted or forced. The point is to make them feel like you're in their corner helping them succeed and not just telling them all the things they're doing wrong.
Does this work on everyone? Nope. There are some people who are just a lost cause, but I have seen it work with most. But even with those, it takes time and patience. This isn't a one-off discussion. You'll need to revisit this conversation frequently, but I promise it's well worth the effort.
Now, there is a side effect you need to be aware of, and that's the rest of your team. If this person is rubbing them the wrong way and causing friction on the project, you better believe someone is going to let you know in no uncertain terms. If they haven't seen you publicly call this person out, they might think you are either unwilling to deal with the situation or just plain obtuse. Neither is a good thing for you. At the same time, you can't just tell them that you're privately coaching that person since that kind of defeats the purpose of the word "private." Usually what I tell someone who comes to me with this grievance is, "I have seen this behavior. While I can't tell you exactly what I'm doing about it, please trust that I'm aware of the situation and handling it." If you've done the hard work of building a solid team based on trust and transparency, this is all you'll need to say.