3 Steps to Manage Tough People in the Workplace
As a people manager (or even an account manager), there is nothing more frustrating than not knowing how to manage your problem children, I mean…employees…I mean…clients. (But let’s be honest, are you managing adults or stubborn pre-teens?)
And as an employee (or even a student) who’s involved in group projects, having to work with people who do not pull their weight can ruin the entire work project.
Fluidity, camaraderie, and collaboration in the workplace are all pivotal attributes to the success of any organization. Without every member of the team being in sync, the project falters and the results underdeliver.
No matter how much you love your job and no matter how experienced you are, everyone is susceptible to working with people who do not exert the same amount of energy as you do on any given project. These people may become ‘problem people’.
“It’s important to use effective communication skills to ensure all members of the project team are working together to produce the best results. ”
So how can you manage those problem people in the workplace? I offer you three steps to managing problem people:
1. Figure out what the person values
This is a common misunderstanding in the workplace - that every individual believes what you believe and values what you value.
I see this often within sales organizations. It is a common misconception that money motivates every salesperson. Some salespeople seek out validation, others seek out the opportunity to be promoted quickly.
Is it your job as a manager to put your own values aside and seek to understand why each individual comes into work every day. Once you understand what motivates them, you can encourage them to reach their own goals -- instead of the arbitrary goals you create for them.
2. Remove barriers that get in the way
Hint - this might be your own management style. Have you ever gone on vacation for a week and come back to notice more work was completed while you were gone? I used to have a manager (whom I adore dearly) joke about going on vacation more often because that’s when we would close the most contracts
The key to removing barriers in the workplace is to understand that only those ‘problem people’ can motivate themselves.
→ Are they missing deadlines? Understand what exterior reason that may be causing the tardiness.
→ Are they distant? Uncover what (or who) may be causing the distress
3. Put yourself in their shoes
The term “servant leadership” has never sat well with me. A lot of “servant based leadership” organizations are some of the most toxic organizations I have seen.
However, there is a refined skill of being able to empathize with your employees.
If your organization just went through a merger or a reduction in force, it is helpful to work to understand how they must be feeling as individual contributors themselves. If your employees are unmotivated after something traumatic or organization-altering has happened - give them some credit. Change is hard. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
As a manager, you cannot achieve goals or produce successful results if you do not seek to understand what your employees value, what motivates them or if you don’t try to walk a mile in their shoes.
Explicitly state “If I put myself in your shoes…” as it will help the other person understand you are working to empathize with them.
I believe that not all ‘problem people’ are problematic employees -- they have just lost their motivation and need a little help finding it again.
References - Nicholson, N. 2003. “Managing Problem People”
