Business Lessons From Today
January 1st 2012 07:44
Link: www.theprofitfrog.com
If only you could overhear what your staff say when they huddle together.
Somehow, I suspect that most managers with more than 10 staff are likely in the dark about the topics their staff discuss, the way some staff form connections, and what impact these can have in the work place.
Recently I witnessed the breakdown of great team dynamics. Within this particular team there are 11 staff, a good balance of age and gender. They all seem to get along really well. However, within the team is one personality whose manner and attitude have caused friction and tension that are almost palpable. In the absence of this team member, the rest of the team seem to gel and connect like a regular little family.
As a more senior member of the team with the most qualifications, she has a brittleness and coldness that defy explanation. There is just "something" about her that ruffles feathers, causes a sense of irritation for colleagues, and generally makes those who have to work with her get together in little groups and snigger and bitch about her.
What staff have been claiming is that this unpopular staffer is somehow "in thick" with management based on how she seems to just barrel in and throw her decision making around, as though she is of management stock. It is in how she speaks, the tone, the language, and the overall attitude conveyed by the way she communicates.
Some staff wonder why she was considered for and offered a stand-in management position after one of her colleagues had already spoken to senior management about staking a claim for the role.
Others have had disputes with her, with arguments in public and threats to lodge formal complaints about her. At this time I have observed however that no action has been taken about this character, and add to that, the manager of the department seems not to be up for taking a very firm stance and actually going in to bat for his team against this staff member.
He is, I'm told, in danger of a staff revolt, with several staff threatening to take the issue further. This is mostly to do with how the aggravating staff member informed her colleagues that a specific change to a display in the department was planned. To her colleagues, the idea seemed dangerous and unreasonable - it involved placing unsecured material on the floor to create a new look, and taking out some of the essential display (despite what the planogram states).
None of the intended changes appear to have been confirmed with the department manager, and it seems this is leading to further communications between staffers who think that the DM is too weak and not prepared to stand up to her.
Worst still is that her husband works in another area and appears to have made comments about the department that are not particularly welcome, and she has been adding to these comments by reinforcing the fact that he has said it.
Here's the simple fact.
If management paid attention, and were approachable about the issues, staff would feel inclined to talk to their senior managers and aim for resolve.
Staff don't want tension and issues in the work place.
They don't.
Simple.
What happens though is that ONE person, with the wrong attitude, causes friction, sucks up to higher managers, angles for promotion and disses on fellow colleagues, to the point where not one of them wants to work with the staff member in question.
What managers CAN DO about this is take it seriously - force the issue and ensure that staff have their grievances aired, and see that real actions are planned and acted upon. Moreso, the affected staff want to feel that they are listened to seriously, and have management recognize that if so many staff are complaining, there has to be SOMETHING to do with the unpopular staff member.
What lesson can you learn from this story?
1 Listen to your staff
2 Pay attention to any tensions and complaints
3 Show force - demonstrate that staff are worth standing up for.
4 Be Courageous - seriously deal with conflict, no matter how hard it is to face up to. You can't be popular with all your staff all the time but you can earn their respect by upholding a decent code of conduct.
5 Don't favour some staff over others. If you have great staff, give them rewards they seek. If not possible at least tell them truthfully how you value them. Same as you need to not treat other staff as special or as if you are too afraid to manage them. If you can't manage them properly, it will show and you'll lose respect and most likely lose high quality staff.
Without following these simple steps, you might find your business in trouble. Get to work on fixing these challenges and don't be afraid to stand up to staff who are causing friction. Your team will thank you for it.
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