Differentiating between employees

There are several factors that distinguish employees from one another.

Experience levels

The amount of experience an employee has is very likely to influence your approach. Normally, more experienced employees will be worth consulting with and will value their autonomy. They will generally require less direction and control. There will be fewer occasions where coaching and support are required.

By the same token, the less experienced employee is more likely to require direction, control, coaching, and support. Consulting with such an employee will, in general, be appropriate in certain circumstances, but probably not as often as with a more experienced person.

It should be noted, however, that these guidelines are far from absolute. There are plenty of experienced employees who need a lot of direction and coaching, and there are plenty of less experienced ones who are able to work very well with a high level of autonomy, and whose input is worth hearing.

The...