Four Steps to Dealing with Difficult Employee Behaviors

Master these four steps to dealing with difficult employee behaviors. Getting people to do what you need them to do is challenging, especially in times of great change and uncertainty that we find ourselves in. We have people working remotely, where distance has eroded trust, or people working harder than ever! Everyone’s stress levels are high right now because most people fear the unknown… Wow, we’re in a perfect storm for conflict right now.

I bet knowing that makes you feel better, because we’re all in this together, we haven’t been here before, and we’re writing the rule book or as guides as we move through it.

I’m going to build on some foundational steps I’ve been using for years to teach people how to deal with difficult employee behavior. The four-step cycle can be entered at any point, but all steps must be completed.

Steps:

• Giving and receiving effective feedback is a skill that always needs as much exercise as your abs during this pandemic. (Someone told me recently that they need to social distance from their fridge and flatten their curve! LOL, can you relate? I sure can.) People have a huge appetite for feedback, so feed it.
• Set limits? – People feel safer with boundaries than without, even if their initial reaction smacks of dead fish…their respect for their leaders increases when boundaries are set and maintained.
• Having difficult conversations: This is the step that most people would prefer to sweep under the rug. Feel the fear and do it anyway! It gets easier over time.
• Follow Up and Follow Up – My favorite move because I can say FU…which stands for Follow Up and Follow Up…everyone respects a leader who sets a standard and stays true to it.

The benefits are conversations, clarity, consistency, and compliance, and that is the foundation on which you can build your greatest castle. I’ll be delving into each of these steps to dealing with difficult behaviors over the next four weeks, so stay tuned for my weekly leadership tips.