Positive Principles Newsletter
May 2005
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"Problems in the workplace are often created not by what we
do, but by what we fail to do.”
- Aubrey C. Daniels –
Bringing Out the Best in People
"All problems become smaller if you don’t dodge them,
but confront them.”
- William F. Halsey
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This month's tip –
Confront negative behaviors.
Once again, I am building on an idea from a previous article. Develop a “we”
focus and not a “me” focus. (view
last month’s article)
At the close of last month’s article, I mentioned that developing a “we”
focus begged the question: How does this apply to team members who don’t
want to play nice? The short answer is this month’s tip. Failure to
confront a negative behavior is a subtle acceptance of it – an encouragement
for it to continue in the future.
As you read much of what I
write, you probably see that I prefer encouraging good behaviors to
punishing bad ones. Encouragement is more comfortable to me - and therein
lays the problem. Encouragement is more comfortable to me.
Behavioral analysts find that high-level performance comes from the
effective use of positive reinforcement. However, we all know that some
unacceptable behaviors will happen. When they do, it is the leader’s
responsibility to step in and address them.
For about 10 or 20 per cent
of the population, this month’s tip seems like a no-brainer. Confrontation
is not uncomfortable for you. You do it naturally. Because it comes
naturally, you may be highly skilled at addressing problems directly.
However, the rest of us feel some stress and discomfort when conflict
arises. I happen to be a person who would prefer to avoid conflict if
possible, so I don’t offer this month’s tip glibly. I offer it as a lesson
from mistakes I have made in the past.
My desire for peace and
harmony sometimes stops me from quickly confronting negative behaviors. The
paradox is that, as the leader of a team, if I do not address negative
behaviors, I will get more of them. And, in the end, I will have less peace
and harmony. In order to get what I do want, I have to do what I don’t want
to do. In fact, if I avoid the conflict only because the conflict is
uncomfortable to me, I am working from a “me” focus – contrary to my tip
from last month.
A word of caution – I am
not suggesting public humiliation for people who act in offending ways. I
am suggesting that leaders confront negative behaviors before they
hurt team performance – not after.
I am sure that you have a
list of negative behaviors you have seen in the workplace. Here is a
partial list of some behaviors/issues I have had to address:
To help people who, like
me, would rather avoid a confrontation, I offer these suggestions to ease
the stress:
Be prepared
- Pre-plan what you intend to say. In most situations, I don’t suggest that
you read a prepared statement. However, you should be prepared.
Be brief
– Get to the point quickly, and stay on topic. You will find it easier to
be brief if you prepare in advance.
Be specific
- Make sure you speak about specific behaviors, and not your
interpretations.
Here are some examples:
Explain
the impact
-
Tell the person how other people perceive their behavior or how it affects
team performance.
State the desired
alternative – Go
beyond a description of the negative behavior to describe what you expect in
the future. By stating the desired positive behavior, you can use positive
reinforcement rather than punishment to drive performance in the future.
Stay calm
– The behavior may frustrate you, but now is not the time to vent on
people. You want them to focus on your message and their behavior, not your
frustration or anger.
So for now, I encourage
you to remember this month's tip . . .
Confront negative behaviors.
Have a great day,
Guy Harris
The Recovering Engineer
