| Most people are reluctant to address
problems they are having with an employee, co-worker or even their boss. Yet, pretending
everything is fine certainly won't improve the situation. Here is just one example of why
this isn't in the best interest of the employee or yourself.
Just today, I spoke with a client who was describing an
employee who wasn't quite working out like he had hoped. He shared with me how this
employee was refusing to take on projects that were well within the scope of her job
description and how unpleasant she was making life for everyone. Yet, instead of
confronting this employee, he is going to wait for her to find another position within the
company so he can be rid of her.
I suggested a different approach.
Why not simply tell this employee that she has gone as far
as she is going to go in his workgroup and that it is time for her to move on? This is
certainly in her best interest as well as his, and more than likely will take less time
than waiting for her to bid adieu. He thought my idea was brilliant!
Whenever we think about conflict, we tend to think of it in
a negative connotation. Yet conflict can be good. Here's why.
Conflict fuels innovation.
It helps take good ideas and make them great. Here is an
example of what I mean by this. Have you ever noticed that the best ideas seem to come
from other ideas? Think about what would happen if everyone went along with whatever was
suggested and stopped there? Do you think such innovative products like smart phones would
exist if no one in the room challenged the idea that a phone could be used for more than
just making and receiving calls? You can close your eyes and imagine the sparks flying in
the room as each participant defended his position.
I got to experience this first hand in the early days of
mobile phones when I worked closely with an executive at NYNEX, which is now owned by
Verizon.
I could see this executive's counterparts didn't quite know
what to make of her. She was bold and forward thinking, uncommon in companies like that
back in the early nineties. She had a way of confronting the naysayers, and turning them
into her advocates. I noticed that when she was in situations that appeared to be
contentious, she would win the other people over by telling them what was in it for them.
Worked like a charm.
The executive that I spoke with today could have learned a
lot from this woman. He knows his problem employee is very interested in being promoted.
He also knows this certainly isn't going to happen on his dime. He needs to be honest with
her and let her know that she has gone as far as she is going to go within his workgroup.
Most likely this conversation will not come as a shock to this employee. In fact, more
than likely she will be relieved, as deep down inside she knows this as well.
This is a conversation that may feel uncomfortable to him,
but in the end if he plays his cards right, she'll walk out the door thanking him for
giving her permission to seek a workplace where she will be an asset. And he will be a
much stronger manager as a result of this experience. Now that's what I call a win-win
situation. |
