| It is a fact of organizational life - negative, | | | | - Employees verbally attacking each other |
| unacceptable behaviors will happen. When they do, the | | | | - Extreme body odor |
| leader must address them. | | | | - Lack of attention in meetings |
| I normally emphasize the benefits of encouraging | | | | - Too many personal phone calls at work |
| positive, productive behaviors over punishing negative | | | | - And many others. |
| ones. However, my clients and seminar participants | | | | For people who, like me, would rather avoid a |
| often ask questions like: | | | | confrontation, I offer these suggestions to ease the |
| - "What about team members who don't want to play | | | | stress: |
| nice?" or | | | | Be prepared - Pre-plan what you intend to say. In most |
| - "What if I can't find anything positive to reinforce?" | | | | situations, I don't suggest that you read a prepared |
| The short answer is this: "Confront negative behaviors | | | | statement. However, you should be prepared. |
| early and decisively." | | | | Be brief - Get to the point quickly, and stay on topic. |
| When you fail to confront negative behaviors, you | | | | You will find it easier to be brief if you prepare in |
| subtly signal acceptance of them. In effect, you | | | | advance. |
| encourage them to continue. As Admiral William F. | | | | Be specific - Make sure you speak about specific |
| Halsey said, "All problems become smaller if you don't | | | | behaviors - not your interpretations. |
| dodge them, but confront them." | | | | Here are some examples: |
| Personally, I prefer encouraging people to disciplining | | | | - Rude, inconsiderate, disrespectful, arrogant, obnoxious, |
| them. Encouragement is more comfortable to me - | | | | flighty, unfocused, smart aleck, and pushy are |
| therein lays the problem. Encouragement is more | | | | interpretations. |
| comfortable to me. Any time I act out of personal | | | | - Interrupting, rolling eyes, speaking loudly (or softly), |
| comfort rather than appropriateness of response, I fail | | | | shrugging shoulders, looking away, walking away, and |
| in my leadership role. | | | | tone of voice are specific behaviors. |
| For about 10 or 20 per cent of the population, | | | | Explain the impact - Tell the person how other people |
| confronting problem behaviors is a no-brainer. These | | | | perceive their behavior or how it affects team |
| people are comfortable with confrontation. They do it | | | | performance. |
| naturally. However, the rest of us feel some stress | | | | State the desired alternative - Go beyond a description |
| and discomfort in a conflict situation. | | | | of the negative behavior to describe what you expect |
| My desire for peace and harmony sometimes stops | | | | in the future. By stating the desired positive behavior, |
| me from quickly confronting negative behaviors. The | | | | you can use positive reinforcement rather than |
| paradox is this. As the leader of a team, if I do not | | | | punishment to drive performance in the future. |
| address negative behaviors, I will get more of them. | | | | Stay calm - The behavior may frustrate you, but now |
| And, in the end, I will have less peace and harmony. In | | | | is not the time to vent. You want them to focus on |
| order to get what I do want, I have to do what I do not | | | | your message and their behavior, not your frustration |
| want to do. | | | | or anger. |
| Most people have a list of negative behaviors they | | | | By failing to address problem behaviors, leaders get |
| have seen in the workplace. Here is a partial list of | | | | more of them. As noted behavioral analyst Aubrey |
| some behaviors/issues I have had to address: | | | | Daniels said, "Problems in the workplace are often |
| - Interrupting meetings | | | | created not by what we do, but by what we fail to do. |
| - Supervisors treating employees poorly | | | | |