DISQUS

Tom Gimbel · 2 years ago

The solution is really a question: If you have employees who don't do what they are asked, why do you keep them? No matter how well they do one aspect of their job, eventually they will be a culture buster because the high performers will resent them. This isn't a volunteer high school football team where you make the team if you try out. If you let the inmates run the asylum, you deserve to be committed.

Brad Cork · 2 years ago

People do what works for them and they usually do have a reason. I suggest if an employee is not doing what you ask them to do then they are not engaged.

In my soon to be released book , "Self-Managed Teams: How to do more with less." I propose that self-managed teams are the most effective way to deal with this issue. The premise of self-managed teams is that the team works out the what and how to do the work and since they are more involved in the decision making they are more likely to do what they decided to do.

This then frees the manager up to spend time doing what he should be doing - understanding the people side of the team and focusing on strategy and future direction. The better you understand your staff and relate to your staff the more likely they are to do what you ask.

Also, as mentioned in the article, ensure you are aware of what behaviour you are rewarding and focussing on. If you reward bad behaviour (eg by giving into it, or even just doing nothing about it) or if you focus on what your staff do wrong (bad behaviour) then you will get more of it. Try and catch your staff doing right and ensure you reward only great behaviour.

If you have a question about improving your team performance why not send me an e-mail at brad@improvingpeople.com.au or visit www.improvingpeople.com.au.

Your team can win!
Have a great day,
Brad.

Frank Roche · 2 years ago

Tom, I'm a bit of a hardass, so my first inkling is boot them to the curb. I really do believe that performance is punishing otherwise. Great advice, indeed.

Brad, really interesting perspective. I'm looking forward to reading more of your stuff. So true about peer pressure and self-directed teams...I think that's a real answer.

michelle lamar · 2 years ago

Thanks for giving "wt" a shout out. There are many parallels between managing people and managing kids (in my opinion). Thanks again for mentioning WTM and as always, we are big fans of knowhr.

michelle lamar · 2 years ago

PS to Frank-I'm a hard ass too. I've been less of a hard-ass about managing employees and it usually resulted with me, the boss, working later than the entry level employees. I don't manage anyone right now but I turned into a total hard ass after I had people that worked for me work FAR LESS harder than they should have for the money I paid them.

Frank Roche · 2 years ago

Hi Michelle, I thought your post (and many others) was great. I mean, really great. You NAILED it. And I have had a parallel experience, I find myself working harder than anyone who works in the firm I own. Crazy, isn't it? I mean, I don't mind working, but when I was young I did the same thing. Now, as a full-fledged grownup, I'm still the guy doing it.

I one time said to my teenage boys, who were inside while their mom, my wife, was outside planting trees. I mean, when I was a kid, I couldn't imagine doing the same. Then again, my dad would have had me bleeding out of my ear. Same situations at work. Crazy, I think.

Thanks so much for such great work. I am dazzled.

Wally Bock · 2 years ago

Please to remember that all behavior, including employee behavior, happens in context. A single incident of a behavior by a single employee means nothing unless it's illegal or threatens to hurt someone or something. Good supervisors will tell you that most of their people, most of the time, do what they're supposed to do.

If you've got someone who's not doing what he or she is supposed to do your first task is to determine if you have a supervision problem or a training or resources problem. If you have a supervision problem your next task is to determine if you have a discipline problem or a coaching issue.

If you have a discipline problem, it's time for the Notice of Intent to Play Hardball. This will work most of the time. If it doesn't then we do the documentation dance until behavior changes or the official "kicking to the curb" process is invoked.

Frank Roche · 2 years ago

Notice of Intent to Play Hardball. Fabulous! Wally, you make a good distinction between a one time event and bad behavior. I believe that most people want to do the right thing. But when they go bad, they get bad, and that ends up not working out.