The following is an excerpt from Suddenly in Charge, which is being featured on Amazon this month. Downloads are available for $1.99.
Ask managers what they dislike most about their jobs and the majority will say, dealing with problem employees. Problem employees are a fact of life so the sooner you learn how to deal with them, the easier your job will be. But wait, you may be thinking that if I do what you say, hire right, I’m not going to have to worry about this.
Over time, people and circumstances change. Consider people you know, who have gone through life-changing events. For example, can you think of someone who’s personality shifted dramatically as they were caring for an aging parent or while they were going through a divorce? Or what about an employee who seemed to be the perfect employee, until his salary was frozen?
It’s best to be prepared for anything and everything. The worst that can happen is that you will never need these skills. But like a fire drill, isn’t it best to know where all the emergency exits are located, even if it’s only one time that you need to use this information?
Here’s what I see happening all the time. Managers (or anyone else for that matter) don’t like conflict so they do everything they can think of to avoid dealing with the situation. Most of the time, doing nothing is the worst thing you can do as workplace situations get worse when left unattended.
Make sure your managers are skilled at holding difficult conversations, as this part of their job isn’t going away any time soon.
