ย
He owned an insurance brokerage which had various branches around New Zealand and a head office in Auckland. The office manager at the head office had been a nightmare for years he told me. She was a bully; she terrified everyone, even the owner himself.
He had tried speaking to her on numerous occasions about her behaviour, but rather than improving the way she treated people, being challenged actually made her behaviour worse.
He decided to move the head office, lock stock and barrel, to another city because it was the only way he felt he could get rid of her.
Imagine the momentous cost of that decision.ย ย
So, in your business, if you have such a person, what is it really costing you?
Consider:
โขย ย ย Your time to coach the person.
โขย ย ย The high turnover of staff who feel bullied or intimidated.
โขย ย ย The low morale which usually leads to low productivity.
โขย ย ย The high levels of sick leave.
โขย ย ย The legal fees if you decide to go the โwarningโ route.
โขย ย ย The replacement costs of the people who decide to quit.
โขย ย ย Your reputation as a business, because word quickly spreads.
When is the right time to take action?
โขย ย ย As soon as you notice behaviours that donโt fit with your stated values.
โขย ย ย When it starts affecting other peopleโs results or your customer service.
โขย ย ย When it takes up way too much of YOUR time.
โขย ย ย When it becomes too offensive or draining to ignore.
HOW should you take action?
โขย ย ย Set up a โone-to-oneโ with the person; somewhere quiet, with the phones turned off.
โขย ย ย State clearly the behaviour you are concerned about (โIโm having challenges with the way you speak to peopleโ) and give examples.
โขย ย ย Ask for input from the employee (โTell me whatโs going on for youโ).
โขย ย ย Listen and acknowledge (โI understand you want the best results for the company and I thank you for that. However, we have to find a way to achieve our targets without minimising our peopleโ).
โขย ย ย State that the behaviour must change (โWe are starting to lose good people and that canโt continueโ).
โขย ย ย Let the employee know you will support them as they make the changes (โI know changing behaviours isnโt easy, but we have to find a way to get the best out of people by encouraging them, rather than intimidating themโ).
โขย ย ย Gain agreement (โSo you understand why this behaviour must change?โ).
โขย ย ย Have regular one-to-ones with the person. Support, coach and mentor that person until you are happy the behaviour has changed.
โขย ย ย Acknowledge them when you feel they have achieved what youโve asked of them. (โWell done, I know youโve always had the best interests of the company at heart, and I hope you now see, that by treating people with respect, we get great resultsโ) โ or words to that effect.
Why taking action is so important
Dealing with poor performance isnโt easy, but not dealing with it brings on a myriad of ripple effects. ย
As a leader, owner, manager, supervisor or team leader dealing with poor performance is the most important part of your job.
The secret is to discuss openly with your whole team, the behaviours you want to see and the behaviours you do not want to see. By doing that, you have laid the foundation of a high performing team.
If you then see someone doing what you asked them not to do, youย are now able to step in immediately to say โremember we said that we wouldnโt (name the behaviour)โ.ย
Ann Andrews has spent over 30 years as an HR consultant specialising in working with high performing teams. She is a seasoned conference speaker and has written numerous books based on building great teams and becoming courageous leaders. โLeaders Behaving Badlyโ was written deliberately to describe the leadership behaviours the world needs, businesses need and teams need. Normally $30 (plus P&P) Ann is offering the book to NZBusiness readers for $20 (Plus P&P). Visitย www.annandrews.co.nz.
