Putting Drive to Work: Getting less of what you don't want
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If you're a boss there are times when you will have a team member doing something that you don't want them to do. This can happen in the best of working environments.
The tool for dealing with unacceptable behavior is reprimand. Reprimand is a single purpose tool that can be dangerous if used irresponsibly. Here are some of the rules.
When people do something inappropriate, they usually know it. You probably don't have to tell them. So if a team member inconveniences other team members by coming late to a meeting, don't worry too much about it.
You may want to ask for the reason, in case there's something you need to know about or adjust to. But you'll find that most of your team members will correct the behavior on their own.
Some won't. They might start coming late to most meetings. Now you have a pattern, not just a single instance.
Don't jump to discipline just yet. Instead, let them know that you've noticed and that you'll be monitoring that behavior. Not all behavior. The one you've noticed. Tell them what the consequences of continued unacceptable behavior will be.
People don't like to feel like they've been blindsided. No matter how clear you think the rules and standards are, if you don't give a team member the opportunity to correct without consequence, they are likely to feel like you ambushed them.
Now we come to a part of reprimand that's critical. If you tell them that you will monitor that behavior, you must do it. If you tell them there will be a consequence if it happens again, you must deliver it.
There's one more important thing. Reprimand is for behavior, not performance. Behavior is what a person says or does. Performance is the measureable or describable outcome of work.
If you have a performance issue, start with a little analysis.
Does the person have the ability to do the job? If not, training is your tool.
Do they have the resources to do the job? If not, either get them the resources (including time) or change your expectations.
Boss's Bottom Line
Reprimand is your tool for getting a team member to stop doing something. Use it sparingly and only for behavior. Use it only with notice. Deliver it consistently.
Check out:
My review of Dan Pink's book, Drive
The post "Putting Drive to Work: Intrinsic Motivation"
The post: "Putting Drive to Work: Getting more of what you want"
More on my Working Supervisor's Support Kit
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Categories: Supervision,Management,Leadership
Tags: Supervision Management Leadership
Wally
I agree that it is both effective and appropriate to focus reprimands. A lot of a boss's impact is information rather that punishment. A lot of influence comes from letting people know that you're paying attention and that you care. Most employees read the culture of a workgroup and align their behavior accordingly, but there will be some who fail to read the subtle cues. Then some clearly articulated cues will often do the trick.
All the best,
Michael
www.workengagement.com
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Thanks, as always, for your insightful comments, Michael. I try to use "reprimand" as distinct from "correct." In training and development you correct but you don't reprimand.
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Love what you are saying, Wally, I always hated reprimanding people, and wanted to spend as little time doing it as I had to. As much as possible, I think you should try to describe the behaviors that will merit a reprimand so that people know. That way before the reprimand can come the reminder. It also helps with the procedural justice issues as you will always reprimand all employees the same way for the same behaviors. And if you see new behaviors you have to reprimand for, you add those to the description of unacceptable behaviors.
Great work as always, Wally. Bret
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Thanks for the kind words, Bret. I agree about laying out what's acceptable and what is not. My own preference is to go for simplicity (see "An Elevator Speech for Bosses") in basic expectations and lots of conversations where you can handle the details. I think it's also important to tell people why something is unacceptable. "Because I'm the Daddy (Mommy), that's why" doesn't cut it.
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Hi, Wally. I agree with your perspective on this - and I think there is another element that's important as well.
In our society, we're trained to be problem-solvers, to focus on what's wrong and 'fix' it. Unfortunately, that means that we have little or no focus on what's going well.
People spot when someone's doing something wrong, but how often do you notice when they're doing the right things? And how often do you recognize it?
People go where the energy is focused, and if you want them to focus on the right things, then you need to recognize when they do, not just focus on when they're off-track. Unfortunately, there's often an attitude that "people should know when they're doing the right thing, they're not children, they're expected to do that - why should I recognize it?" Well, if you don't you'll spend a lot of time addressing when they're off-track.
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Thanks for adding that, Ravi. I agree. Most of us learned to concentrate on catching people doing things wrong so we could "fix the problem." Even though Ken Blanchard and Tom Peters started reminding us to "catch people doing something right," old habits are hard to break. The result is that we concentrate more on the negative than on the positive.
My own perspective on that, as it relates to Drive, is in an earlier post: "Putting Drive to Work: Getting more of what you want."
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Dealing with inappropriate behavior is something most managers would rather avoid and often do. The tips you provide make it easier to focus the conversation. Focusing on behaviors rather than the performance or the person is the key to having these conversations with employees.
You mentioned that you may want to ask for a reason when you experience unacceptable behavior. I typically advise managers to stay away from asking why. Typically it leads to defensive responses and excuses. The manager then believes they have to defend themselves and address the excuses. Excuses don't change behavior. If there is something the manager should know about a valued employee will come to the manager and let them know. Otherwise focus on the expectation, the behavior, the consequences and the steps the employee will take to eliminate the unacceptable behavior.
Cheers!
Kelly
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Thanks for adding your insights, Kelly. Let me push back a little on your position about "asking why."
There are techniques for doing this in a way that minimizes the excuses and BS. I call it the "3 W Rule" for What-Why-Wait. What = describe the behavior without adjectives. Why = tell why it matters. Wait = wait until your team member speaks before you speak again.
The other thing is that sometimes there are serious reasons just below the surface of seemingly simple behavior. Usually they involve medical problems or problems at home.
There is one big important thing to note. What I've just described won't work unless you're having frequent and friendly conversations with your team members. That's where you grow rapport and trust so that you can deliver an unwelcome message with the possibility of an amicable future.
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I really like the "3 W Rule" as you described it Wally. Waiting is particularly important as many managers are uncomfortable with silence. And the manager definitely has to let the employee know why the behavior matters.
What I encourage managers to avoid is asking, "Why aren't you doing X?" That leads to defensiveness and excuses. They can turn the question around and ask, "What's keeping you from meeting the expectation?" That leads to a less defensive interaction. The manager may still get excuses and they need to know how to challenge those. Or the manager may learn if there is a serious reason for unacceptable behavior as you mentioned.
My position is that if a manager is having frequent and friendly conversations with their employees then the employee will let the manager know if there are things that are contributing to the change in behavior.
Thanks for the great conversation Wally!
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Thanks again, Kelly. Remaining silent is indeed tough for many managers, though this varies with personality.
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Good points Wally,
I have often seen new managers struggle with showing their authority in their new position in my professional life. They often let things slide until the problem grows until they can't ignore it any longer. That's when the reprimanding comes into play. Often times it is then over used because the line of thinking taken by these managers is (well the employees couldn't just get in right on their own so now I have to yell and blame everytime it gets out of control) while the occasional reprimand is very useful (shouldn't be playing football in the hallway during work) creating an atmosphere of mutual respect between employees and establishing an environment that is professional without being too controlling is key to management success and happier employees.
thanks
Joe
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Thanks for adding that, Joe. My experience matches your own. Many managers simply let things go until they have a crisis on their hands and a lot of things to talk about. That's why I advocate lots of routine conversations in the regular course of business. That way you can catch (and correct, if necessary) things early and more easily. The added benefit is that when you are talking with your people a lot you build the rapport and trust that makes correcting more effective and reprimand less necessary.
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Good post. Also important is positive reinforcement (different from praise) to encourage the behavior you WANT to have. It lets all employees know what is expected and preferred and can prevent the negative behavior from the start.
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Thanks for adding that Heath. It underscores Aubrey Daniels' point that the behavior that's reinforced is what's repeated.
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I think that there is value in getting inside the employees world to see where they are coming from. Sometimes people have behavior issues when there is something in the workplace that isn't working, but they don't know how to express that, sometimes we don't even know that something isn't working that is having people behave oddly. There are cases where a behavior issue can be a signal that there is something deeper to address, either in the person, or in the organization. There is an interesting speech posted on youtube by the Kennedy Center for Public Leadership with Werner Erhard speaking about why we as human beings do what we do. Why We Do What We Do: A New Model Providing Actionable Access to the Source of Performance.
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Thanks for that pointer. Readers should know that the video is over an hour long.
I always have a little trouble with the "getting inside" part because I don't know anyone who can do that well and consistently. That's why I suggest to clients and audiences that you manage what is observable. You may also use observation as the starting point to identify a problem.
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