Dealing with the Employee that Doesn't Listen

There are many types of employee issues at work.  One issue that is very frustrating to leaders is the employee that doesn't listen - to instructions, at staff meetings, to the customer, and to you.  These are the people that seem to hear just part of the message and sometimes they are such master manipulators that they have you wondering if you really said what you think you said.  These also tend to be the people that hear just enough to do damage.


Rather than beating yourself up all the time thinking you obviously are not a good communicator.  

Or resorting to treating them like a grade-schooler with comments such as "Do you have your listening ears on?" try a few of these steps when dealing with a poor listener.  Actually, these steps are just good routines to get into anyway.


1.  Verbally communicate very directly with this person, especially when providing instructions.


2.  Ask them to repeat back to you their understanding of what you just discussed.  


3.  Clarify anything they didn't include when repeating back to you.


4.  Follow up with an email that clearly articulates what your discussion was about including specific steps and deadlines.   


5.  Hold them accountable.  Print the email and have it in front of you at your next meeting.  Whatever you do, make sure you save the email.  


Here is an example of an "after the conversation" email below.


Joe, 


As we discussed today your assignment is to merge the three current sales reports into one report.  The new report should include all of the date that is currently in the three separate reports. After creating the new report, I'd like to review it before you start on the next step of creating charts to visually display the data.  The combined report should be ready for my review by Thursday, March 2.  


When we met today you verbalized that you understood the tasks and instructions.  If something has changed or you have questions about this assignment, please let me know immediately.  I will set up a brief meeting for us twice a week to review your progress and answer questions.  Our first meeting will be Monday, February 15.


Your Supervisor

"There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves."

— Albert Guinon

At least with written documentation you won't think you are crazy and you have eliminated the "I didn't understand" excuse.  If necessary you can print it and use it with the employee in your next meeting.  


This doesn't mean you should have to write down everything you say to this person.  Steps 1-3 will work for daily conversation and after a while they will get tired of having to tell you what you said.  At the minimum you can feel good about your communication.  And if it doesn't get better, see my blog post on dealing with performance issues.  


Good luck and be sure to put your listening ears on today : )


Mari

The Most Damaging Employee Of All

Being an HR professional and also formerly a leader in the operations environment of a large manufacturing facility, I have certainly seen my share of employee performance issues - the slacker, whiner, bully, suck up, etc. etc.  I like to think I've pretty much seen it all but I'm hesitant to say that as I am periodically very surprised by a new issue.  Some issues are easier to deal with than others.  For probably 90% of employee issues, a frank conversation and clear expectations will change performance.  But, oh boy, that other 10% can be quite a challenge.

Of course there is no one size fits all approach.  People are people.  And for those of you that tend to like things black or white, you are not going to be happy about this - people are very gray.  Every person comes with their own set of unique perceptions, ideas, reactions, and results.  The good news is there are some simple guidelines for the most part.

Routine Performance Issues
For example, the slacker just requires a little micro-management and clear goals so you can manage the performance (either towards improvement or out of the position).  This micro-managing is not intended to be a permanent fix, it's a short term solution toward improvement.  The "Whiner" likely wants attention and this is the only way they know how to get it.  Once you dig past the surface performance and get to the root cause of the problem it is much easier to solve.  I've been known to sit a problem employee down and say "Here are the expectations.  What do you need from us in order to perform to expectations?"  Putting the ball in their court seems to lead to resolution much faster than trying to guess what we need to do.

The Most Damaging Employee
There is one type of employee however, that I firmly believe is the most damaging to any business.  They are a cancer cell in the business world and if I stick to that analogy, only quick detection and massive amounts of chemotherapy can cure the damage they cause.  And they are the most difficult to detect because they are masters of deception.  I would much rather deal with a slacker, people in conflict, lack of teamwork, or a difficult supervisor than deal with this person.  By now, your interest should be sufficiently peaked.  Who am I referring to?  The Gossip.

I'm not talking about the morning break room chit chat regarding who is having an affair or who is spending too much time on Facebook.  It's not unusual for all employees to spend a certain amount of time gossiping and it's impossible to think you are going to eliminate that - actually, a certain amount of gossip may be good.  I'm talking about the person that derails careers, destroys morale, and purposefully takes information they have and twists it to hurt others and cause drama.  These are the back stabbers that will throw you under the bus the first chance the get but act like your best friend the rest of the time.  Why are they the worst you might ask?  Because they are often difficult to detect, they disrupt morale, and when you confront them, they will act like they have no idea what you are talking about.  Just in case you didn't realize this, when your team is focused on drama, they aren't focused on work.

You may wonder how to handle this employee because if your organization is very big at all, I guarantee you have one or two.  The first step is to detect and derail them.  If this person is brave enough to bring the gossip to you, consider yourself lucky.  You don't want to stop anyone from bringing information to you but you want to make sure they know you are going to dig to get all the facts before jumping on their drama bandwagon.  So, let me handle this a couple of ways.

Scenario:  Your Gossip brings juicy info to you.
1.  Thank them for bringing you the info (after all it's better they brought it to you than to everyone else).
2.  Ask lots of questions (and I do mean lots).
     How did you come to find this out?
     Did you personally see them do this?
     Did they tell you that or did you infer that?
     What exactly did they say?
     What exactly did you see?
     How do you know?
     Who have you shared this with?
     Did you see the email?

Once you start asking questions and they can't answer one, they will begin to realize they can't make things up.  This approach alone will stifle a bit of the gossip.
3.  Caution them that things aren't always what they seem and educate them on the damaging effects of gossip.
4.  If necessary, ensure them you will handle the situation but you will not be reporting back to them unless it has to do with them personally.  Tell them you expect them to keep what they know private as you seek more information.
5.  If you hear they have shared the information with others after your talk, address the gossip as a performance issue just as you would absenteeism.  It disrupts the work environment and should be handled as such.

Scenario:  Your Gossip is Sharing Information With Others.
1.  Invite them into a private area for a chat.
2.  Let them know you are aware of something they have shared (do not divulge your source if at all possible as it will only generate conflict).  Explain what it is you heard, and allow them to respond.
3.  Thank them for being honest with you.  If they deny saying anything ask your question a couple of different ways.  If they continue to deny it skip to the final step in this process.
4.  Ask lots of questions (see above for examples)
5.   Caution them that things aren't always what they seem and educate them on the damaging effects of gossip.
6.  If necessary, ensure them you will handle the situation but you will not be reporting back to them unless it has to do with them personally.  Tell them you expect them to keep what they know private as you seek more information.
7.  Explain that in the future you would like them to come to you with this information and not generate gossip within the department.  Explain that gossip will destroy a team and you need their help and making sure that doesn't happen.
8.  Explain that gossiping is a performance issue as it disrupts the work environment and will be handled as such.

On a more positive note, the "Gossip" can be a great resource for you when implementing change.  Think about it, you have someone on your team that likes to talk . . . .make sure they are armed with the information you want others to have.  They can be your greatest resource if you know how to utilize them.  This post is getting way too long so I'll cover than topic in a future post.

What are your thoughts regarding the impact of the Gossip?  What success have you had in dealing with this person?  I want to hear your thoughts!

Mari

The 3 Reasons People Don't Do What You Want Them To Do

Some find it hard to believe but it's true.

There are really only three potential 
reasons people don't do what you want them to do. 

Getting to the root cause of a performance issue is really not all that difficult when you think about it from this perspective.  The real trick is determining which of the three reasons it is and then implementing an appropriate solution.  But really, three potential reasons, that's it - this is doable right?


Let's take a look at the three reasons and then I'll go into a bit more detail on each of them.

1.  They don't know how.

2.  They aren't capable.

3.  They don't want to.

Our natural tendency is to assume number 3 is the reason our employees are not doing what we need them to but stick with me here and read the explanation for numbers one and two.  Quite honestly, the first one is often the culprit.


1.  They Don't Know How
This could mean nobody has taken the time to show them so they truly don't know how to perform the task correctly or it could mean they don't know how YOU want it done (i.e. you haven't clearly communicated your expectations).  Before you can jump to the conclusion that someone just doesn't want to do what you have requested, you must first rule out this possibility.

If they simply don't know the proper procedure or process or need to learn a skill or software program, that's an easy fix - send them to a class or assign a more experienced person to show them.


Let me be clear - this possibility could be the reason why you have quality issues and it could also be the reason you have employees spending too much time on the internet at work.  


Without getting too psychological on you, all people come to the work environment with their own ideas, experiences, perceptions, and expectations.  For example, you'll likely notice generation Y much more interested in social media than your baby boomers.  And generation Y will likely not see any problem with texting and checking their facebook status throughout the day.  They've done that their entire life so that's what they know.

Unfortunately, many leaders believe others come into the workplace with the same expectations, ideas, and work ethic that they have.  This, my friend, is a big mistake.

Most people cannot read your mind (I'm sure there are a few telepathic people out there although I've yet to run into them in the workplace, which is probably a good thing).


If your employees are not doing what you want, your first step should be to clearly articulate your expectations.  


I can't tell you the number of leaders that have said to me "Shouldn't they just know that?  Do I have to tell them everything?"


Of course, you don't have to tell them EVERYTHING but you do have to clearly articulate your expectations.  If they come in five minutes late every day and have been doing it for two years without anyone saying anything to them, they likely believe it's not an issue.  If it's an issue, you need to tell them.  Again, they can't read your mind.


So, before moving on to the second potential reason, you'll first need to rule this reason out.  Depending on the performance issue, you can rule this out by observation (skill deficiency) and by conversation (i.e. clearly articulating your expectations).  The topic of "clearly articulating your expectations" deserves it's own post but a cliff notes version would include the need to be very precise and specific directly with the person who has the issue.  Having a staff meeting and announcing to everyone in the room that they need to come to work on time is not precise and specific directly with the person.  Quite honestly, the person you want to hear that message is probably not listening at that point or thinks it doesn't apply.  This means bringing Jane or Joe into your office and saying "Hey, I notice you come in 5-10 minutes late at least four times a week.  I need you to be here at (insert time) from now on.  Is there anything preventing you from doing that?"  I guarantee your problem will either be solved or you'll have grounds to start the formal discipline process.


2.  They Aren't Capable


Again, too often leaders jump to this conclusion when more often than not, this is NOT the reason people aren't doing what you need them to do.  It's actually pretty rare to find this to be the cause although it does happen.  I hate to paint a very visual image but it's the best way I know how to rule this one out.  Another way to say it is "If you put a gun to their head and asked them to do it, could they?"


I'll use a personal example here.  There are lots of things I know how to do but just don't for whatever reason.  Eat right, Exercise consistently, get enough sleep . . . .  this are all things I know how to do.  It isn't that I'm not capable.  I could have a PhD in all of those topics if one were offered.  However, if you put a gun to my head today and said "Be a world class ballerina," I couldn't do it.  No matter how hard I tried, I'm not built (nor will I ever be) to be a ballerina.  Some other examples here might include mechanical aptitude, mathematical ability, or even painting or singing.  Some people may be able to learn some of these skills to a certain proficiency but not at the level that you would need in the workplace if they don't already have the aptitude.


If this truly is the reason they aren't performing, it would be best to move them to another role if you have that option.


3.  They Don't Want To
Ahhh, finally, we get to the one reason most people jump to right away.  Remember, before you get to this option you should have ruled out option one and option two.

This option would include outright defiance (even though it might be masked by a professional attitude and a smile) motivation (or lack thereof), frustration, passive-aggressive behavior, and just plain not liking their job.  There is so much information to cover here that I'm sorry you'll have to look for other posts on the topic.  If this is the reason the person is not performing and you want to modify the performance behavior, you'll need to dig beyond the obvious.  Let me explain.

Have you ever heard yourself saying "they just aren't very motivated."  My question is always "why?" People are unmotivated for lots of reasons and sometimes all you have to to do is change a process or your communication a bit to completely turn around behavior.  Here is an easy example.


Example
You have a salesman responsible for getting a report to you each Friday afternoon.  Let's say his name is Charles.  He is perpetually late with this task and it frustrates you because you need his report to complete your report to your boss.  It's a constant battle.  If you don't figure out the why behind this it will always be a constant battle.  Worse yet, it could end up that a very good salesman gets fed up and leaves because he is tired of your nagging about the stupid report.  If you ask "why?' you may find that this salesman is paid based on his sales.  You may also find that Friday is his busiest day of the week.  Charles happens to get a charge out of selling more and beating his own records.  If you know all this it should become crystal clear as to why he isn't getting the report done.  It's not that Charles is not motivated or defiant, or just trying to make your life more difficult.  On the contrary, Charles is highly motivated . . . . to sell and that is, after all why you have him in this role.  


Now that you understand what is going on, you have some options to work with - is there an administrative assistant that could help (i.e. process change)? Could you change the due date of the report to Monday which happens to be his slowest day?  Or can you you change your compensation structure in some way so Charles doesn't feel like he is missing the busiest day of the week?


As you can see by this example the why can make all the difference in performance.  This may apply to absenteeism, spending too much time on social media, and any other performance issue you may be having in your organization.  

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean every employee can or should be "saved."  But it also doesn't mean you get away with throwing in the towel so easy.  There are times is it absolutely necessary to address performance.  And there are times when employees have quit and forgotten to tell you so you have to assist them to their next adventure.  Too often however, leaders are quick to judge and punish without even trying to find out how to motivate and inspire their employees to excellence.

I'd love to hear your comment on this topic.  What has been your experience in this area?

What Makes A Good Leader?

A former colleague of mine recently requested a recommendation on LinkedIn.  This colleague worked as a leader while I was the person responsible for coaching and developing leaders.  In writing the recommendation I couldn't help but reflect on the positive characteristics of this person as well as what makes a leader great.  


When I think of a great leader, first and foremost I have to ask "was anyone willing to follow?"  Regardless of the level of charisma and IQ, EQ, or whatever quotient we want to measure, if nobody is willing to follow, one can't be very effective can they?


That being said, Leadership is not a title and it's not dictated by one's pay grade.  We all know excellent leaders that are not in the role officially and terrible "leaders" with the right title.  It's also not based on likability although that certainly helps.  And unfortunately, it takes a different set of characteristics for a leader to be great in various situations.  For example, an acquisition or merger requires a more decisive, charismatic leader than a stable, sustaining environment.  It's possible for someone to be an excellent leader in one environment and terrible in another.  Lastly, the required characteristics also depend on the organizational culture, requirements of the role, and the business climate in which they will work.  


That being said, there are some characteristics that transcend all of the aforementioned variables.  They seem to work regardless of the situation.  Those are the characteristics I will focus on for now.  And they are . . . (drum roll please)

• An effective communicator
• A respected influencer
• A positive "can do, get it done, are we lucky to have this problem, and I'm willing to help you in any way" attitude.
• The confidence to make decisions (even if they end up being the wrong decision)
• The courage to lead (even if you are really scared to death)
• The conviction to do the right thing - for the business, stockholders, industry, environment, and employees.
• The wisdom to know that no matter how much you already know, you don't know it all and you have valuable resources that can help.  

So, this gives you a starting point.  I could elaborate on each of these characteristics and will in future posts but for now, if you are reading this in hopes of becoming a better leader, read and learn everything you can about each of these characteristics.  

Being an effective communicator is listed first for a reason.  If you can’t articulate your vision, expectations, and limitations in a compelling, inspiring way, it’s difficult for others to even know what you want, much less to get excited about it.  I understand public speaking is a great fear for many people.  And many leaders are rarely required to speak publicly.  However, the practice of learning to speak publicly forces one to learn how to articulate their thoughts more clearly and concisely.  When you take a public speaking class you are not only learning how to get over the fear of standing in front of group, you are learning how to organize your thoughts in a clear, direct, and powerful way.  This is a skill that will take you far professionally.  You will find yourself able to communicate better in every part of your life – personally, in meetings, and in front of your own team.  You will begin to realize that minutes count and if you don’t capture the other person’s attention in the first few seconds, you will miss your opportunity.  And as a bonus, you will overcome a fear and isn’t courage one of the other items listed above? 

The attitude should be self-explanatory.  You should exemplify the attitude you expect to see in others.   It's unfortunate that this is a characteristic I rarely see in the workplace.  

I'll be covering confidence and courage in another post but I do want to touch on the conviction to do the right thing,  The reality is, leadership is tough.  You often have the power to do things that others cannot.  That power can take people down a dangerous path as we see every time we turn on the news.  The conviction to do the right thing is one of the characteristics that will set you apart.  If with every decision you make, you first ask yourself these questions, you will be well on your way to doing the right thing.

Is this best for the company?

Is this best for the people in which I lead?

Is this best for the industry and/or environment?

Is this best for our shareholders?

Of course there will be times you have a dilemma - something is right for the company but not the employees or some other such problem.  we can't cover each of those situations here but you'll find more on the topic in the decision making post I'm writing.

The last bullet item is key to effective leadership.  The leader that continues to learn is the leader that continues to be inspired and full of ideas.  It is also the leader that is better equipped to develop others.  There are so many ways you can continue your development.  Read a book.  Listen to an audio book while you work out in the morning or in your car as you commute.  Attend a seminar or a public speaking class.  Get a mentor.  Take time to talk about development with your peers.  Ask your employees how you can be a better leader.  Hire a coach that will give you honest, open feedback (hey, I can help you with that one).

the most important thing is to take a step in the right direction - just one step.  If you start with this list, you will be well on your way! 

You'll Get More Of What You Focus On

It's not uncommon for leaders to ask the question "Why do I have to reward and recognize my employees?  Nobody has to recognize me for doing a good job - I just do it." 

Newsflash - maybe that's why you're the leader.  

Everyone isn't self-motivated and many of those who are . . . . . get promoted to uhmmmm, management.  That would be you.


The reality is when it comes to performance, you'll get more of what you focus on. 


It's kind of like how you'll manage what you measure.  Same theory, different application.  Managers tend to focus all their energy (after getting the never ending to do list done) on poor performance.  They spend their time focused on those not performing and ignore those that are performing.  The low performers get the face time as well as keep you up at night while you try to figure out how to "fix" them.  Managers hover, cajole, encourage, berate, and basically give all their attention to the poor performer.  

All the while the high performers, the ones doing all the work, are ignored on the premise of "I don't have to worry about them."  The atmosphere eventually becomes something like "If guess if the boss isn't talking to me I must be doing okay."  

Eventually the high performers lose interest because they aren't cared about and the result is more poor performance.  


A Better Approach
I'd like to propose an alternative solution for poor performers.  How about we address the performance problem and pay close attention to incremental progress in the right direction.  When we see even the tiniest progress try recognizing that progress.  You get more of what you focus on .  Focus on what is going right instead of what is wrong.  


Here is an example. John is not making his productivity goal.  You talk to John, clearly articulate the expectation as well as consequences, create a short term goal together.  John increases his productivity the following week but still doesn't quite meet the goal.  Instead of "John, you still didn't meet the goal!!!!!!" how about "Great work John!  You increased your productivity by 10%.  Awesome!  I bet you can increase it by another 10% next week, what do you think?"


Let's try another one.  Mary has a tendency to be short with customers.  You talk to her and clearly articulate your expectations.  You provide specific examples regarding how to deal with angry customers and have her role play with you.  The following week you see Mary dealing with an angry customer and you can see she is biting her tongue and using every ounce of self restraint she has in her.  She isn't overly friendly but you notice she remains polite and doesn't lose her cool.  After the customer leaves call Mary in and celebrate her victory.  Acknowledge that you know how hard that must have been for her and you are so proud of her.  Yes, you are right - it is her job but it's also your job to keep people motivated so they do their job well.  This is a new behavior for Mary.  You get more of what you focus on.  If you want to see more of this positive behavior in Mary - focus on her positives.  

This approach works both ways.  Want more absenteeism?  Focus on being absent.  Want more people to show up on time?  Recognize those that show up on time.  

Let's not overlook the high performers.  These are the people deserving of your time and energy.  They should be the ones you are praising on a routine basis.  If you continue to ignore them, their motivation may decrease as well.


As a bonus - this works at home too.  Do you wish your teenager would take the trash out without you nagging him/her.  Then pay attention to the times he does it on his own.  Instead of the sarcastic "Wow, I can't believe you actually took out the trash without my telling you too" you might try a sincere "I really appreciate you taking the trash out.  Thank you."  Even if it only happens once a month - recognize the positive because you will get more of what you focus on.  


Look for other posts on reward and recognition to learn more about how to maximize performance.  Remember - you get more of what you focus on.