As a boss and leader, it’s important to handle disruptive people issues immediately! Waiting can cause more destruction than a bad competitor. How can you avoid them?
Hire the right person for the right job. Good job fit normally creates better team members, whether they need to work independently or interdependently. Have others involved in the interview process. Conduct due diligence by first clarifying what you need to achieve. Use a consistent interview guide and ask the same interview questions of each candidate. This will make the process to compare responses easier. Moreover, it keeps it legal! Don’t settle for less than is required. Accepting someone as “good enough” can create negative and costly impacts to your clients and company.
Integrate new hires into team. Give new hires basic tasks to complete. Enable them to win immediately. Remind them, winning requires everyone pulling together for the benefit of the team. The good news is that the “right” person who does not like these tasks will find great opportunities to get them done faster, often with less cost! A true win for everyone.
Come Down to Reality. Realize there are times when people who create a lot of brouhaha truly are grounded in the mission and goals of the team. It’s time to have a reality check. Be open to the new opportunities healthy discussions produce, without dissing what caused the exchange of ideas.
Just fire them. There comes a time when someone is unable or unwilling to be part of the team, or do the work. It’s kinder to let them go, than to keep haranguing them to perform the job tasks they were hired to accomplish. Working around them wastes costly time drains precious energy. Sadly, this strategy rarely solidifies the team into working well together.
©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012