Listen to today’s show to learn important strategies for building a coaching environment in your organization. Coaching staff can improve overall business results, staff performance and team performance. When managers learn to coach their staff, business results change.
Handling Screaming EmployeesNovember 8, 2012 at Noon EST
Do you have employees that are out and out fighting with each other at work? Yelling, screaming, not getting along or perhaps has difficult relationships with their supervisor?
Conflicts in the workplace happen frequently and the fallout can be costly to the employer and the employee. Developing the skills to resolve conflicts that arise can save your company significant money. First let’s look at the costs:
The root of many conflicts is communication: either unclear communication, resulting in misunderstandings. One strategy to address rising incidents of conflict is communication training. Teaching people how to listen and how to talk clearly can prevent and decrease conflicts. Communication is such a challenge. So often, we feel we have been really clear, only to find out that the other person really misunderstood us. Being a clear communicator takes commitment. You need to be able to talk in a neutral sort of way, eliminating inflammatory emotions. Speak from the heart and listen from the heart are good basic guidelines. Beyond the basics, are to listen deeply to what the other person is saying and then to check-in with them. Ask them: “is this what you are saying?” It lets the person you are talking with know what you have understood and gives them the opportunity to clarify or correct misunderstandings.
What do you do when the conflicts have escalated? Resolving conflicts are good for everyone involved, but sometimes it’s hard to see that in the moment for the people directly in conflict. As mentioned earlier, conflict is costly. Sometimes as the owner, or manager we forget that there is a great cost to us but also to the employee. Changing jobs due to a conflict means a great deal of change for an employee. They might not be able to get the same level of pay; benefits; shifts, etc that they are accustomed to. The impact to the employee and their family can be high.
As the leader you can set-up an effective environment to resolve the dispute by following some simple steps and laying out a couple of guidelines.
First, spend time talking with each person involved. Let them know that your belief is that developing a shared solution is important to each person and that you value each of the employees involved. During the individual meetings you can begin to gather information about what they see as the possible solutions. Let the employees know that your intent is to meet with each of them and then with them together, to talk about their perspective and possible solutions to the conflict.
Use a simple & effective process:
Some common pitfalls:
Don’t take sides. As the manager your interest is the company, the resolution of the conflict and each employee.
Don’t mandate a solution; you want the staff invested in the solution.
What do you do if staffs refuse to participate in conflict resolution?
Offering staffs the opportunity to resolve conflict is a much better option than being disciplined, having supervisor mandated solutions or taking no action at all. When staffs refuse to cooperate or participate, its time to talk with them about your company policies, their personal responsibility for their behavior and actions and your responsibility as the owner or manager to take actions based on their behavior. The intent of this type of conversation isn’t to threaten disciplinary action, but to talk about the reality of the situation and the need to resolve it. Each individual makes choices, as supervisors our actions are based upon the behaviors and actions of the employee. As the supervisor you are encouraging good choice making, but the reality is that some people will make a poor choice and choose to continue to act in ways that are not acceptable in your workplace. In these situations you must then follow your organizations policies as outlined for your employees in the employee handbook. Resolving the conflict and creating a good work environment for everyone is my first choice as the manager/supervisor/owner.
Conflicts in the workplace can be successfully resolved, by listening. Giving each person space to tell their story validates them and communicates to them their value to you and the organization. Using the simple process outlined keeps you moving in a positive direction.
What are the challenges that you face at work?
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A small company had a staff team that was dedicated to their work, but challenged by their manager/business owner. His expectations were high but his ability to communicate effectively about expectations low. Instead of clearly communicating what tasks needed to be completed in advance he would outline tasks at the last minute without enough time left to complete the job in a quality way. The staff felt that they had to get the job done, that there wasn’t any option. They bent over backwards, worked extra hours, came in on days off to complete the work. And, despite new tasks being thrown in along the way they completed the work. And as quickly as it was done the next unreasonable task was on the table. There was no acknowledgement that they had gotten an impossible job done, just the high expectation for the next.
What happens to your workforce when you fail to acknowledge or thank them? Work forces decrease performance. Research on worker performance has consistently indicated year after year that money is not the number one motivator for staff, but rather social praise, success, acknowledgement rate higher. When business owners and leaders demand, demand, demand and never acknowledge that the staff met deadlines went above and beyond is 
demoralizing to staff. Staff become frustrated that no matter how hard they work it is never acknowledged. Frustration leads to anger and they wonder why they continue to work so hard.
Using these simple steps managers can improve the workplace environment and overall work performance. Having a positive, engaged workforce improves the bottom line.
Using an effective employee performance improvement system is another strategy for developing a fully engaged workforce. Staffs that meet with their manager in a positive improvement system are responsive to manager coaching and feedback. When coming out of an environment that has not been positive or acknowledging managers will need to build trust and rapport.
The employee performance improvement system works with employees to develop a goal plan to improve performance and focus on top goals for the company. Managers shift their management approach to one of coaching staff. This shift begins a full company culture shift. A positive engaged employee work culture improves overall business results. The benefits to the organization are tremendous.
This results in increased performance productivity and results. It also results in decreased stress around performance appraisals through the monthly coaching process.
Monthly coaching gives managers an opportunity to provide regular feedback, appreciation and acknowledgement. Teams become highly productive and responsive.
Download an excerpt of my book Employee Coaching or pick up a full copy. Employee Coaching and learn how to inspire staff to create the results that you need through coaching.
Are there conflicts in your workplace? Do you have employees that are out and out fighting with each other at work? Are screaming employees effecting your workplace productivity? Yelling, screaming, not getting along or perhaps has difficult relationships with their supervisor?
Conflicts in the workplace happen frequently and the fallout can be costly to the employer and the employee.
The root of many conflicts is communication: either unclear communication, resulting in misunderstandings. One strategy to address rising incidents of conflict is communication training. Teaching people how to listen and how to talk clearly can prevent and decrease conflicts. Communication is such a challenge. So often, we feel we have been really clear, only to find out that the other person really misunderstood us.
Being a clear communicator takes commitment. You need to be able to talk in a neutral sort of way, eliminating inflammatory emotions. Speak from the heart and listen from the heart are good basic guidelines. Beyond the basics, are to listen deeply to what the other person is saying and then to check-in with them. Ask them: “is this what you are saying?” It lets the person you are talking with know what you have understood and gives them the opportunity to clarify or correct misunderstandings.
Download an excerpt of my book Employee Coaching or pick up a full copy. Employee Coaching and learn how to inspire staff to create the results that you need through coaching.
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Are You Dreading Year End Performance Appraisals?
Do you sit in your office dreading the conversation with employees around performance an their annual performance appraisal?
Do you wish the performance appraisal would just be over with?
Have you ever procrastinated the employee performance appraisal so long it was almost the next year?
These are just a few of the comments we hear from managers and business leaders about the annual employee performance appraisal. Many feel the same about their own, personal performance appraisal and dread it equally. What makes them so difficult?
It’s the direct conversation with another person that makes it hard, AND the fact that the conversation has NOT been ongoing. When the performance appraisal is used as an effective tool for enhancing employee performance improvement the conversation is happening throughout the year and the employee and the supervisor are both engaged and committed to the plan.
Shifting to a performance improvement system that is positive, focused on producing results and success shifts the entire year end experience. In addition, the workplace culture shifts to one of results oriented and skill mastery. Employees are engaged in the top goals for success and they know that they have the support of their managers and team.
What does it take to make this shift?
First, it takes a new paradigm — one that is focused and positive.
The manager has to make the first shift.
The next step is to use a planning process that engages the employee. We use the Best Year Yet® system of transformation. It is a powerful system of moving employees into a results focused paradigm and taking a moment to look at their limiting beliefs as well. By doing this the manager can help them to overcome limitations and be successful. The plan sets the top goals for the employee for the year, in collaboration with the manager or leader. The plan is simple and focused.
The plan is then reviewed with the employee each month. It is not the manager leading the conversation but rather the employee. The employee comes to the meeting prepared to discuss their goals and how they did on each goal for the previous month. Using an online system for tracking goals, employees actually login into their plan and SCORE their goals. This is a powerful shift in how appraisals are done. It is empowering to employees and more fully engages them in the plan and its outcomes. It is not a plan that has been handed to them and is negatively focused, it is a plan that they have developed to create their “best year yet”, and as a result the company results are improved.
When managers are engaged with employees then they are more clued into what is interfering with success. They are having regular conversations with staff and know what is happening through out their area of responsibility. In addition, they know just how their team is performing.
When it comes time to review the plan again at year end the experience is no longer dreaded but is anticipated with enthusiasm. Relationships between managers and employees are shifted to collaborative rather than controlling and confrontational.
Workplaces that develop a system of performance improvement see greater team work, greater company results and more collaborative behavior on their team.
To learn more about creating a positive performance improvement system in your workplace schedule a strategic leadership call.