Posted by Jamie Resker on Mon, Aug 24, 2009 @ 05:34 PM
There always seems to be a certain level of tolerance for the smart and competent employee who exhibits bad behavior.
The higher ups in our organizations justify it by saying things like,
- Well, the work is getting done, look numbers have never been higher
- Jim's technical skills are so valuable we can't afford to lose him
- All of those problems in manufacturing with returned orders have been fixed
- It's easier to keep her than to find a replacement
- That's just how Sue is
- She doesn't mean any harm, she's just under a lot of stress
- Stop whining about Sue, focus on your work
- etc.
Well, sorry folks but there's evidence that bad apple employees can make the team 35 - 40% less effective. This flys in the face of most evidence collected over the decades which says that a good strong team can dilute a disruptive employee.
*A bad apple, at least at work, can spoil the whole barrel. And there's research to prove it. Host Ira Glass talks to Will Felps, a professor at Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, who designed an experiment to see what happens when a bad worker joins a team. Felps divided people into small groups and gave them a task. One member of the group would be an actor, acting either like a jerk, a slacker or a depressive. And within 45 minutes, the rest of the group started behaving like the bad apple. (13 minutes)
Listen to the interview on This American Life, Ruining it for the Rest of Us. It's entertaining and provides evidence that allowing the bad actors in our organizations exhbit uncivil behavior exacts a price.
Source: Public Radio International, This American Life
Posted by Jamie Resker on Thu, Aug 20, 2009 @ 08:20 AM
3 Keys to Making Difficult Discussions Easier
It is clear that the key reason people avoid giving feedback is not because they don't understand the problem but rather because they don't know how to craft a message that is sayable and hearable.
Put the focus on the positive, desired performance rather than highlighting the current negative performance. The result is a message that you can deliver without having a bottle of Alka-Seltzer at your side and your staff can hear without going off the rails.
Key #1: Identify the Performance Issue
Identify the negative behavior that is holding the individual back not a problem for most people. Then describe it in the opposite, positive terms.
For example, if the employee lacks finesse when dealing with clients and behaves like a bull in a china shop the manager would ask for the employee to develop a more polished and professional style.
When an employee makes frequent mistakes the manager would talk in terms of developing more accuracy.
For the employee who chronically complains that everything is a problem, but never offers any solutions, the manager might ask the employee to develop a problem solving approach.
Key #2: Be Specific about the Desired Change
It is important to get specific about what you mean by a more polished and professional approach, more accuracy or a problem solving approach. For example, What I mean by develop a problem solving approach is that when you first notice a problem that is preventing you from getting your job done to first think through a solution and then approach me if it's something you need my help with.
Key #3: Detail the Benefits of Making the Change
Lastly, it is useful to explain to the employee the benefit of developing the performance area. Ask yourself Why do I want the employee to make this change?
In the case of the chronic complainer who never offers solutions their behavior most likely creates negativity, wastes time and garners complaints from co-workers who are sick and tired of listening to this person drone on about what's wrong.
So, the here's why I'm asking you to focus on this part of the message would sound something like this, The reason I want you to focus on solving problems is that people will notice and appreciate a how do I make things better around here approach, it will make more constructive use of the time we have and it will bring more positive energy into the team.
Notice how the message is still honest yet it talks in terms of what WILL happen when the employee develops a problem solving approach.
These keys are the core of the Performance Continuum Feedback Method, a step-by-step methodology designed to make anyone comfortable delivering even the most difficult feedback.
Conclusion
Talking in terms of the desired performance versus the current undesired performance serves two purposes:
- We are more likely to initiate the discussion because the wording makes it more comfortable to deliver the feedback.
- The employee learns what is expected (as opposed to focusing on what's wrong) with their dignity intact
Bypassing negative performance descriptions and the resulting negative employee reaction allows the employee to respond more positively; ultimately facilitating the move towards the solution phase of the discussion the ultimate goal of feedback.
A simple rule of thumb is to provide the employee with the opportunity to receive the feedback and make progress on the issue. Only when it is clear that the employee is unwilling or unable to make progress should more extreme measures be used -- such as disciplinary action or documented performance plans.
Read the blog article on how to translate behavior based issues into SMART goals
Posted by Jamie Resker on Thu, Aug 20, 2009 @ 07:56 AM
We all know who the offenders in our organizations are. They are the employees and managers who make it difficult for others to get their job done. It is easy to identify the bad actors in our organizations who exhibit bad behaviors, but most people who could intervene fail to do so because they are uncertain about how to deal with the problem. That's because most leaders charged with addressing behavior-based issues have little or no experience or training in dealing with this challenge. Consequently, we often see patterns of disruptive behavior emerge when they could have been prevented through the right kind of early intervention.
Bite Me
We recently had a conversation with a nurse and asked her to share a story of unprofessional behavior she observed. Her story: "We had this guy who was promoted to clinical coordinator for the surgical facility; a job that oversees the scheduling of patients and staff for patient surgery. As nurses we knew which anesthesiologists, physicians and nurse teams worked best together and we would request changes to the schedule to insure a high quality patient care experience. The clinical coordinator would respond with, "Bite me". He was a complete jerk and to add insult to injury his behavior was well known but it took two long years before he was demoted from the position and replaced by someone who was both competent and professional".
Technically Competent but Sucking the Life Out of Everyone Else
It can be a challenge when our most technically competent employees (even those of senior rank) exhibit behaviors that are disruptive. These are the employees who have all of the skills and talent you want, but whose attitudes and issues drain your energy, contribute to creating a toxic environment and suck the life out of your high and mid-level performers. Our work days are filled with enough stress, uncertainty and tension. Make the work environment as collaborative, supportive, collegial and pleasant as possible by addressing and stopping bad behavior in its tracks.
Posted by Jamie Resker on Wed, Aug 19, 2009 @ 02:14 PM
When we think of goals we typically think of areas of performance that are quantifiable and measureable. Reduce errors by 50% or increase sales by 15% are examples of measurable goals. The two biggest challenges in creating behavior based goals are setting the time frame and measuring the behavior change. Here's how to do that:
- The measurement is "observation and feedback"
- The time frame is "now - ongoing" (unless training is required beforehand- the training takes place and then the behavior should be observable)
Here's an example of a behavior based performance issue translated into a SMART goal (you'll probably get that this person was rude and nasty in his email communications):
Goal: Jack is most effective when dealing with colleagues/peers in person. When conflict arises I would like Jack to forgo email communications as a first resort and instead utilize his in person communication skills where he comes across as collaborative and respectful. Increase of in person communication with an emphasis on consistently utilizing respectful business language communication skills. Hold off resolving conflict with email as the primary communication medium.
Complete By: Now- ongoing
Measurement: Observation and Feedback
Backing up a bit this was an area for development for this individual and what you see above is that information translated into a SMART goal.
Conclusion
When goals are put into writing there is a better chance that the employee will successfully meet the new expectations. Behavior based goals can and should be translated into specific, measurable, attainable relevant, attainable and time bound objectives.
See our Creating Behavior Based SMART Goals Workshop description. Any behavior based development issue can be translated into a goal- we'll show you how.