Trouble-making=20
Employees?
Clean=20
=
House |
When=20
psychiatrist Mark Goulston asked several =
successful CEOs=20
to name the single most important key to their =
success,=20
he expected them to refer to their vision or=20
mission.
But, independent =
of one=20
another, the CEOs advised: Recognize destructive =
no-win=20
situations with people inside and outside your =
workplace=20
early. Then cut your losses and move =
on.
According to the =
CEOs,=20
"lean and clean" is more productive than "lean =
and=20
mean." Toward this end, Goulston started urging=20
employers to perform a "corporate housecleaning" =
every=20
six months.
How to achieve a lean =
and clean=20
work force?
1. clean=20
house.
2. make =
time to=20
personally praise good and outstanding=20
employees.
3."hire =
more=20
shrewdly next time," said Goulston.
Foremost on =
Goulston's=20
list is cleaning house -- "cutting out the bad =
wood," he=20
said. Workplace leaders can prepare for =
housecleaning=20
with an inventory of employees, placing each =
worker in=20
one of four categories:=20
=
Impossible...Difficult...Easy...Extraordinary.
Goulston defined =
the four=20
categories as follows:
![3D""=20](3D"http://www.bizactions.com/content/images/golddiamond.gif"=20)
Impossible =
employees=20
keep you up at night. They are not just rebels =
without a=20
cause. They are rebels without a clue. They are =
the=20
"know-it-alls" who don't know what they're =
talking=20
about. When you cross them, they can become =
verbally=20
combative or abusive. You dread having to see or =
deal=20
with them. You appease or avoid them because =
they=20
infuriate you. They contaminate your =
organization as=20
more worthy and conscientious employees see =
superiors=20
"greasing these squeaky wheels."
Difficult =
employees=20
don't keep you up at night. Instead, they keep =
other=20
people in your workplace awake. They are =
arrogant and=20
talk down to other employees. As contrary as =
they are,=20
you keep them because you need their talents or=20
abilities. You have to weigh the value they =
bring to=20
your organization against the problems they=20
create.
Easy =
employees are your=20
foot soldiers. They are cooperative, "salt of =
the=20
earth," and great team players. They do their =
job=20
without creating problems for you. Regardless of =
the=20
chaos in your organization, they do a good job =
because=20
they're responsible and grown up.
Extraordinary employees are your =
stars, and the=20
future of your organization, because of their =
talent and=20
commitment. They'll stay awake at night trying =
to figure=20
out a better way to do something for your =
organization.=20
They're the ones who enable you and your =
executives to=20
get a good night's sleep because you feel how =
dedicated=20
they are to your organization.
To evaluate your =
impossible and difficult employees, Goulston =
recommended=20
you use his "Self-Other Inventory" chart. (See =
Chart=20
below.)
A summary =
sentence you=20
write on the chart about the attitude of an =
employee=20
might state, "I can rely on this person to do =
the bare=20
necessities of the job if he is not annoyed =
about=20
something." Or, "I can't rely on him to do a job =
without=20
making mistakes, then blaming others or making =
excuses."=20
Other summaries you write might state, "He can =
rely on=20
me to give him a warning and a chance to improve =
his=20
work" or "He can't rely on me to endlessly =
tolerate his=20
sloppy work and negative attitude."
"This tool will =
help you=20
to make explicit to =91impossible' employees and =
yourself=20
what needs to improve in order for the difficult =
and=20
impossible to keep their jobs," said Goulston, =
author of=20
Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming =
Self-defeating=20
Behavior.
Goulston =
encouraged=20
workplace leaders to turn the table on =
themselves, by=20
allowing the employee to fill out the same =
evaluation=20
chart.
Once a plan of =
corrective=20
action is devised, deadlines for follow-up =
discussions=20
and compliance must be set, and then enforced, =
Goulston=20
said.
Failure to =
comply with the=20
agreed-to remedies justifies dismissal of =
"Impossible"=20
employees, Goulston advised.
This charting =
tool also=20
woks for difficult, easy, and extraordinary =
employees.=20
Goulston offered the following summaries =
regarding these=20
higher-potential categories:
Difficult people =
may be=20
arrogant, but they're not stupid. They want to =
get=20
results, but they have big egos. Their =
intimidating,=20
condescending attitude frequently makes people =
afraid to=20
tell them when things go wrong. If they don't =
find out=20
about problems, they can't correct them. If you =
can't=20
find a way to keep employees from upsetting =
people=20
around them, then give them their own space and =
skilled,=20
thick-skinned assistants to insulate them from =
the rest=20
of the workplace.
Employers, =
managers and=20
supervisors often take easy employees for =
granted while=20
their concerns are tied up with other combative =
and=20
contrary people. You can usually get away with =
ignoring=20
them, but it is wrong to do so, Goulston said. =
Letting=20
the people who don't care about your firm or=20
organization distract you from expressing your =
gratitude=20
toward people who do care is one of the most =
common=20
pitfalls for less-than-great leaders, he =
said.
Goulston also=20
polled his CEO clients on their second =
most=20
important key to success. Next to cutting the =
impossible=20
people out of your life early, the most =
important key is=20
to recognize and value the good people so you =
can keep=20
them in your life longer.=20
Self-Other Inventory
6-021
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