'Constant complainer' contesting long-established policy

I have a direct report who is a constant complainer. Last week, he challenged an obsolete corporate-wide policy that many people believe should be changed or updated. I agree with them. How do I manage the situation without making it appear that management has failed in its job these past 15 years? — Mountain Joe.

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No leader enjoys being challenged, particularly if it emerges years later that a long-standing company policy is wrong. Yet, pushback is inevitable, and how you respond can either erode trust or build a culture of innovation.

An employee complaining about a policy is not always an act of rebellion. It’s often a form of feedback. Great leaders know that handling these moments well tests maturity and emotional intelligence.

Even if it’s obvious that the policy is crazy, frame the situation as something that served a purpose in the past. Emphasize that such a policy was aligned with business needs and organizational priorities when it was introduced 15 years ago.

Be sure to explain that since that time, the landscape has significantly changed. This is a good argument for why every organization should establish and nurture a continuous improvement program (like kaizen and lean thinking) with the help of an army of employee problem-solvers.

If you can do that consistently, then management won't have to be exposed as wrong or remiss in maintaining an obsolete policy.

SPECIFIC STEPS

With inclusion and transparency mattering more than ever, how you respond to internal critiques even from an employee viewed as a troublemaker says more about your leadership than any inspirational speech you can deliver.