This is the third in a seven part series based on our manager's boot camp. Part 1 focused on the ten hardest things about managing people. Part 2 focused on the principles and tactics we teach managers. In Part III, we focus on the most common obstacles preventing managers from practicing these principles and tactics:

1. I don't have enough time.
2. I manage too many people.
3. I manage people in a remote location.
4. I manage people who do work in areas where I don't have knowledge or experience.
5. I don't have direct authority over certain people I have to manage (I'm a project leader or I manage people who answer not only to me but to other bosses as well or I manage vendors or contractors or customers).
6. I'm afraid of micromanaging.
7. I'm afraid people will think I'm being unfair if I don't treat everyone the same.
8. I'm just not a natural; leader, manager, coach, people person, etc.
9. I have persistent problems with certain individuals that just won't go away.
10. The problems with my employees are intangible, like bad attitude.
11. Some work can't be easily measured. How can I hold employees accountable?
12. My problem is conflicts between and among team-members.
13. In our company, it's very hard to fire people. So how do I lose the losers?
14. In our company it's very hard to get any kind of special rewards for high performers.
15. My boss (or another manager(s)) fails to back me up.
16. The corporate culture is very conservative---"don't rock the boat"---and therefore hands-off is the norm.
17. The corporate culture is very entrepreneurial---"do your own thing"---and therefore hands-off is the norm.
18. We are already understaffed and everybody on our team is already overworked. How can we afford to fire a low performer? Isn't 50% performance better than nobody in that role?
19. The talent available---the quality and skill of our labor pool---is just not up to the level we need.
20. Language barrier.
21. Priorities shift and change. How can I maintain clear expectations when expectations change daily?
22. I've been accepting mediocrity for a long time already. How do I change standards?
23. I've inherited one or more employees whose manager(s) have been accepting mediocrity for a long time. How can I suddenly change the standard?
24. I'm managing people who were peers or even friends before I was their manager?
25. My employee has an odd source of power (his uncle is my boss, or his friend is our customer, etc..).
26. Unions.
27. I want to be liked by my employees.
28. Corporate rules and procedures make it hard to do anything around here.
29. I don't have the discipline and fortitude necessary to be strong consistently.
30. The list goes on...