Fixing the Difficult Employee | No BS Management Advice
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
If you have a person on staff that occupies a lot of mental real estate, I think this will help.
You know you gotta fix them. They’re a problem. You’ve got to do something about it. They’re sucking the life out of you and, I’m doing this in a playful way, but that is the reality to it. They are occupying a lot of mental real estate for you and it’s becoming a problem for you. Too much time. Too much distraction. Too many issues and I always start off by telling people once you feel this way, Number one– start documenting what’s turning up. This isn’t about catch them doing something wrong but, institutionally, if you’re going to make the decision to fire them, you have to make a case.
So, what is it from this day forward that’s bugging you. Don’t go through ancient history. Deal with this from day forward and I say not to deal with ancient history because part of this is, what you can do differently, and maybe you haven’t been the effective manager up until this point. Thus start with today and in the next instance that you have an issue, I want you to really listen to them. What are they telling you? Not just the words but what they’re not saying, too. That, sometimes, is the place where you can really guide them.
You know the upset person may be telling you “no one’s listening to me,” and, thus, the idea is to probe in those areas about why they aren’t listening and what you can do to help them be listened to, When you’re working with someone who’s the problem person, you’ve got to give them clear specific behavioral feedback– things to do, how to change. Be specific and then measure it over time and, again, document it. Don’t walk it back. This is about consistency. They’ve asked you for help or they’re failing and you want to help them. You have to stick with what you tell them.
Be consistent with this. Inconsistency is the doom of every manager so don’t walk it back just because it’s hard for them, because you will need to set consequences if they don’t change, because you are laying a case that if they don’t perform, they’re going to be gone. You’re going to put the dog down and you don’t want to do that unless it’s really necessary.
So you’re telling them specifically what to do and focus in on that. Don’t go crazy with yourself. Don’t talk . . . give yourself self-talk that winds up basically saying “why am I wasting my time with this person.” None of that and if nothing works and it’s within the guidelines of the organization, you may need to fire them. You may also want to see if you can transfer them to someone else and do it in a way where they know what they’re inheriting.
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1800 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.
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