Use the time to remove blockers

Ask what’s in their way and then actually clear it — this is your highest-leverage move.

Why it works

A manager often controls resources, access, and decisions the report can’t reach. Systematically hunting for and removing blockers converts your positional power into the team’s throughput, and reliably acting on what you hear is what makes the report keep surfacing problems early rather than hiding them.

How to do it

1. Ask directly: "What’s slowing you down that I could help with?"
2. Take an action item when a blocker is yours to clear, and close the loop next time.
3. Track recurring blockers — they often point to a systemic fix, not a one-off.

Evidence

Supportive, obstacle-removing leadership is associated with engagement and performance; the broader job-demands-resources literature links removing hindrance demands to better outcomes and lower burnout. Research on perceived organizational support further shows that reliably acting on what reports raise is read as evidence the organization values them, which is the mechanism that keeps them surfacing blockers instead of hiding them. (observational)

Correlational; unblocking helps only when you reliably follow through — unkept commitments erode trust faster than never offering.

Sources

• Bakker & Demerouti, job demands-resources model (hindrance demands and burnout)
• Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 25–53.
• Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands–resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512.
• Rhoades, L., & Eisenberger, R. (2002). Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 698–714.

Common mistake

Hearing the blocker, nodding, and never acting on it — after a couple of dropped commitments, the report stops telling you what’s wrong.