On Love and Leadership

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Andy Uskavitch

Leading in Love

“Love is a many splendored thing.”  “All you need is love.”  “Love me tender.”  “Love to love you baby.”  “Thou shalt love thy neighbor.”

Hmm.  I didn’t see anything about loving your employees.  I’m not saying you have to “love” them.  I’m talking about a simple relationship.  Think of it as love, without the . . . “love.”

Understanding Love

When we’re IN love, we’re in a whole ‘nother mindset.  Leadership is a different mindset also.  Lets take a look at some of the basics.

Love shows kindness . . . and kindness makes you someone who’s likeable.  People see that you’re someone they want to be around.  Someone that will be good to them . . . and in turn good for them.

Here is something the Bible says about love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

On Leadership and Love

As a leader, you need to be there for your employees.  You don’t have to win the “most popular” award every year, but you do need to be liked enough that they’ll be with you and follow you.  They can help you as much as you can help them.

In love, you lose your selfishness.  You become devoted to another.  We’re all selfish in one way or another, but we can get over that.

We’re always trying to get ahead.  Doing so in the wrong ways is being selfish.  Taking the credit for something that belongs to an employee(s) is selfish.  Don’t do it.  If the credit belongs to someone else, give it.  If it can be honestly shared then great.  Want what’s truly best for your staff.

Love is full of thoughtfulness.  It comes with the territory.

When you fall in love, thoughtfulness comes quite easily, right.  Buying flowers, opening doors, doing the dishes or laundry.  It’s a wonderful time.  Then over time it often starts to slow.  Just like in leadership.

Changing to Improve

When we become leaders or get promoted, we try hard from the outset – open-door policies, awards, being an open part of the team.  Then as time goes on, the door closes, the awards get put on the back burner, and you become “the boss.” But just like in love, we have to keep trying, changing, and improving our leadership skills.

When in love, we think the best of our love interest and show appreciation.

This person means the world to us and she/he is the best thing to ever come our way.  We buy flowers, we hold hands, we smile (a lot), we show the world how we feel.

Building Trust

In business we must think of our staff as the best in the business – or at least in the organization.  There’s another word you can use to describe this . . . TRUST.  If we don’t believe in and trust our employees then that’s what they’ll give us right back. It becomes a vicious circle that keeps growing until there’s absolutely no positive relationship at all.

How long do you think a love relationship would last like that?  Even the slightest bit of appreciation is better than none at all.

Love can harbor no jealousy.

If your love has a better job, so what.  If she/he has a bigger network or gets more awards, so what.

Leading With Humility

There’s no one leader in this world who knows everything.  Don’t pretend you do.  You can’t keep yourself surrounded by a bunch of “yes men.” A good leader will have people who have knowledge at ALL levels (even more than you) and have varying ideas.  You can sometimes learn as much from some of your employees as they can from you.

With love comes intimacy.  (And you know what I’m talking about.  Don’t go running to HR!)

In leadership, intimacy just means knowing your people.  Think of Tom Peters’ Managing by Wandering Around (MBWA).  Get out and see your folks.  Talk to them.  Find out about their families, their interests, their hopes for the future.

Find out what they need to do the best job that they can.

Being Faithful

Love generates faithfulness.  Love is a choice, not just a feeling.  It’s not a reaction, it’s an initiated action.

We choose to love someone because we feel a need and a want to be with that person.

Like love, leadership is a choice.  Leadership is not for everyone.  It takes a certain type of person to be really successful.  If you don’t want to do the job to the best of your ability . . . step away.

Effective Communication

And maybe most importantly, love needs communication.  Love needs open communication.  No beating around the bush.  No, “you should know what I’m thinking.”  Pure open communication . . . with discussion.

Leadership is no different.  We have to communicate clearly and concisely with our employees.  You can’t hold someone accountable for their work if they don’t know what they’re supposed to do.  People WANT to do their best.  They can’t do that without all the puzzle pieces.

And remember that even if you don’t have something to share, they still need to know that.  When people feel they’re lacking communication, they start filling in the gaps themselves.

A Work in Progress

People will commonly say, “If you loved me ________ would come naturally.”  That’s so untrue.  Like I discussed earlier, we have to keep trying new things, modifying, and advancing.  Our leadership skills are no different.

They’re both a continuous work in progress!

How is your relationship with your staff?  What can you work on, short-term, to make things better?  What can you work on, long-term, to make things better?

**********

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——————–
Andy Uskavitch
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog |  (727) 568-5433

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Hey Leaders: Curiosity Did Not Kill The Cat

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Andy Uskavitch

Curiosity Killed the Cat

In order to help your employees grow you have to know about them. You have to know what they’re capable of – not only in your eyes, but in their eyes. You have to know what they enjoy doing – both at work and at home. 

  • What do they consider a job well done?
  • If they were given time, what types of projects would they want to work on?
  • What resources do they need that you’re not aware of?

“Curiosity might be the most under-the-radar and undervalued leadership competency in business today.”

This is just one of the thought-provoking and meaningful quotes from the new book, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want, by Beverly Kaye & Julie Winkle Giulioni (releases Sep 18).

Fairness is Not Fair

We always hear, from employees, about how things have to be fair.  But everyone is NOT the same so you can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach.  Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same schedule, raise, or attention.

The solution?

Be curious so you can determine just what is fair to each individual person.

Think about how “fairness” affects you and the organization.

Say you have one employee (A) that always has a positive attitude, has initiative, always exceeds expectations, and generally outperforms other employees (B).

If you treat employee A and B exactly the same, with the same pay, raises, and perks, there will be no incentive for employee A to continue performing so well.

Is this being fair to employee A?

Being the Sincerity Role Model

You, of course, know that you’re a role model, right?  Well you should.  If you’re more curious, it’s going to trigger your employees to be more curious.

They too, will find out more about their own teammates and become more curious (ie, ask questions, plan) about how projects may pan out – fixing possible problems before they happen.

Don’t forget that your curiosity needs to be sincere.

Kaye and Giulioni go on to say this:

“Quality questions asked without curiosity will signal to employees that you’ve just come back from training.  Quality questions asked with the spirit of curiosity will facilitate conversations that will literally allow others to change their lives.”

An a-ha moment, to be sure – one of many in their book.

How to Be Curious

Some basic questions you can ask, according to Margaret Heffernan in her Inc. Magazine article, Inspire Your Workforce: Be Curious:

  1. Find out 10 things about your employees that you could not find on their resumes
  2. Learn the names of each of their spouses or significant others
  3. Find out how many pets belong to your workforce
  4. See if you can find out one book each team member has recently read
  5. Identify a favorite food (or drink) that each person likes

Ask these questions and you just may gain more enthusiasm and respect for your team. Heffernan said one CEO came away with far more creative ideas about how to motivate his employees, and by knowing what excited them, was able to connect better with them.

An effective environment is supported by high quality relationships between managers and their employees.  Employees will work their hearts out only if they want to, and that’s determined mainly by the quality of the relationship with their managers.

A Curious Case in Point

Way back when, when I was working retail I worked with another manager that would always complain to me about one of our employees – we’ll call her Betty – no, Veronica.  She’d tell me that Veronica was lazy, unmotivated, and disregarded her “power.”

On the other hand, I’d describe her as just the opposite.  When we sat down one day to figure out why we described Veronica so differently, it quickly became obvious that it all had to do with our leadership styles.  Where I asked Veronica about what work she liked and wanted to do, and about her family, and her future – my counterpart could have cared less.

I worked WITH Veronica’s strengths and worked ON her weaknesses.  She was a model employee with me and a royal pain-in-the-arse with our other manager . . . all because I was curious.

Wow, what a concept?

How is your relationship with your employees?  Are you curious enough about your employees to find out more about them? (you should be)  What can you do today to become more connected? I would love to hear your thoughts!

**********

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——————–
Andy Uskavitch
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog |  (727) 568-5433

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Hey Leaders: Who Killed the Bluebird of Happiness?

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Andy Uskavitch

Blue Bird of Happiness

Have you ever wondered why the Bluebird of Happiness is blue?

… And is he really happy?  Not so sure… I’d say that being blue is a clue.

The happiness part is just a front.  It’s time the bird start taking a good hard look around his organization and see what’s really going on.

Leaving Your Boss

You have heard for a number of years now in various research settings and books that – “most employees don’t leave their jobs, they leave their managers.” 

They leave their managers, not their leaders.

Why do employees leave their managers? 

  • Because they make them “blue”
  • They make them unhappy
  • They make them not want to come into work
  • And not want to work for (with) you

Manager or Leader?

Just because people accomplish what you want them to, and they’re hitting goals, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a leader.  It may just mean you’re a good manager.

Last month on the day that Michael Hyatt’s new book came out, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (which is excellent by the way,) someone posted a comment on Amazon about what a scam it was because he already had 74 great comments posted.

To put a long story short, when new books are getting ready to be published, a number of people, including “experts” are given pre-launch copies for review – hence the 74 comments.

Well you should have seen all of the people that commented back in Hyatt’s defense.  There’s a good definition of a leader.  Now think a moment . . . If you were “attacked” or “under the gun” from customers or superior’s, would you have in instant following standing up for you?

C’mon get Happy

So what do you managers need to do to become leaders – to get your staff to follow you?  Think of the ‘70’s TV show, “The Partridge Family” – c’mon get happy.

I know you’ve heard it a hundred times before (at least), but some people still just can’t grasp it . . . you are role models for your staff!  But you say (I’ve actually heard it), “I’m not here to be a role model, I’m here to get a job done”.  I say ‘bull hockey’!  You can get a lot more accomplished and in a much less harsh (brutal, severe) atmosphere by j-u-s-t  b-e-i-n-g  h-a-p-p-y.

Most people have always thought that if we work hard, we’ll be more successful, and if we’re more successful, then we’ll be happier.  Well that just may not be the case at all.

Happiness Fuels Success

That’s where Shawn Achor comes in.  In his book, The Happiness Advantage, he refers to “rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe” when he says that “happiness fuels success, not the other way around”.

Happiness is contagious, just as a bad attitude is.  Try it.  Walk into a room of your peers or staff with a big smile and just be basically courteous.  With few exceptions, very soon everyone will have a smile.

Just as your bad attitude affects the people you work with, so will a good attitude.  And as an added bonus, it could very well bring you more success.

For those of you who don’t think there’s anything to this notion of happiness then ask yourself why Shawn Achor’s TED Talk has had almost 2.5 million views.

http://ted.com/talks/view/id/1344

“Okay, so what if I’m happier at work?  What’s in it for me?”  I’m glad you asked.  Your trickle down happiness is going to directly affect your staff, which in turn will result in:

  • better quality of work
  • better customer service
  • conscious acts of kindness
  • teamwork
  • openness
  • innovation
  • cooperation
  • fewer sick days
  • higher motivation
  • achieving potential

Should I keep going?

Happiness & You

Abraham Lincoln once said this:

“People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

In other words, you direct the path of your own happiness.  And along the way you can share in that happiness with just being, well, happy.

I’m not talking Happy like one of the Seven Dwarfs – just have a good attitude – about your job, about your staff, about your peers, about your bosses, about your friends and family.

Like I have said many times in my training workshops – attitude breeds attitude.  So if you want your staff to have good attitudes, you’ve got to walk the talk.  You’ve got to have the “happiness advantage.”

What is your happiness level?  Are you projecting the right attitude onto your staff?  What would the workplace be like if your attitude was better?

**********

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——————–
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog |  (727) 568-5433

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Leaders: Is Your Hat Teachable?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Debra Olejownik

Wearing Many Hats

We all wear many hats whether we are on our jobs, at home, or participating in extracurricular activities.  Some of us wear one or two hats, while others of us wear multiple hats.

Then, there are those unique situations that will cause us to flip from hat to hat several times in one day.

“Some examples of my hats consist of Parent, Business Partner, President of Alumni Board, and more…..”

A Hat for Every Head

Work Hats, Learning to Lead Hats, & Leading Hats

Most everyone wears a work hat, but what kind of hat do you wear when you work. What is the nature of your work? Some hats are labor intensive, some are foreman hats, and others are organizational hats.  When it comes to working, leading or learning to lead, does it matter where you are in the hierarchy when it comes to wearing a leader hat? No!

You can wear a lead hat and learning to lead hat from anywhere in the company. Even if you are at the bottom or in the middle:

“You can still wear a learning-to-lead-hat and a leader hat; it’s all about attitude not position,”

The 360 Degree Leader

According to John C. Maxwell (2005) on The 360 Leader, he writes that you can lead from your position in the company, where ever that position may be. You can make a difference even if you report to someone who is not a good leader. What does this mean?

“It means you can lead up, down, and all around.”

All you need is:

  • A good attitude
  • To be teachable
  • A good rapport with people
  • Initiative
  • Influence
  • Desire for change
  • To be available
  • Aspiration
  • Determination

Having a good attitude and being teachable is critical to your success when wearing a leader hat. Developing the initiative to build relationships with everyone can guide you towards directions you may have never thought possible.

Persuading yourself and others to embrace change and being available for those who need you throughout those transitions will allow others to see your hat at face value.

“It’s this face value that others will remember and that will fuel your aspirations and determination to lead from where ever you are in the company”.

Team Hat(s)

How Your Hat is Ranked by the Team and Others?

Too Many Hats?Leader hats must drive future success, and are responsible to get the most out of their teams. Does it matter if your team is an advisory or governing team? No! What matters is that every individual is linked and committed to the team’s common purpose.

“How you see yourself and how you are seen in the eyes of others are sometimes two very different views”?

According to William Stepanek from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, your teams and others are judging you every day. According to Kouzes and Posner, (2002) on The Leadership Challenge, they expect you to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk.

With this said, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are you consistent
  • Do you capture the imagination of others
  • Are you innovative
  • Do you enable others to act
  • Do you inspire passion in others

How you communicate to others is critical to your success. This may require you to wear many hats. Wearing many hats is a fundamental aspect of leaders. Focusing on the mission everyday and making the environment collaboration eliminates unnecessary questions pertaining to the objectives at hand.  By exhibiting competence you not only build team confidence, you are better able to manage daily priorities and performance issues.

How Many Hats?

What Are The Challenges to Wearing Too Many Hats?

Are there challenges to wearing too many hats, it depends. It depends on the situation. One lesson I learned is not to wear two different hats to one meeting. It may be seen as a conflict of interest.

Even if your intentions are for the greater good of the company or organization, your unintentional conflict of interest may not be received well by all. It doesn’t matter that your honesty, integrity, and your word are in direct alignment with the mission, vision, and common purpose of the group, it may still be seen as a conflict of interest.

Take a Good Look at Your Hats

How many hats do you wear? Do you find yourself flipping from hat to hat several times during the day? How are you seen in the eyes of others? What challenges if any have you faced from wearing too many hats? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the hats that you wear!

**********

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——————–
Debra Olejownik is a consultant with DJC Core Consulting & Support Services, LLC
She helps clients identify comprehensive solutions to problems that inspires change
Email |  LinkedIn | Web

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Leaders: What Does the Future Hold for Our Aimless Youth?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Generation Y

The young people we know as Generation “Y” will soon overtake the rapidly retiring boomer generation in the workforce.

When that changing of the guard comes to full fruition, the young people of today will be expected to keep the country running by filling all of the jobs and running all of the organizations that their Boomer predecessors leave behind.

Dazed and Confused

In every generation, there are keeners; those amazingly talented, intelligent, resourceful people who know what they are good at, what they want, and how to go out and get it.

However, many of the young people who graduate from high school and make their way into the workforce every year are frankly, dazed and confused…they don’t know what to do and they are afraid of what the future holds.

“They are aimless and lost in a sea of bewilderment.

You Made Them What They Are

Considering the amazing amount of contradiction and misinformation that Boomer and Generation “X” parents have tossed at Generation “Y” all their lives, it is no wonder many of them are aimless.

They have been praised, protected, doted on. and rewarded by parents and teachers all of their lives.

They have no idea what overcoming obstacles means and they have a profound lack of understanding of the subtleties and cruelties of the business world. They have been taught to believe in themselves and have an ingrained faith that they will succeed.

However, as they near the precipice of independence, they are beginning to realize that neither their parents nor teachers prepared them for real jobs in the real world. They simply have no idea what they might excel at or where their talents might be best utilized.

“Generation “Y” has a fundamental belief that they should never settle for second best.

They want to start at the top of the pay scale and they believe they should have everything their parents have, almost immediately after they leave home.

Because of their liberal and generous upbringings, many young folks make it all the way to high school graduation without ever contemplating the fact that they will ultimately be singularly responsible for their own lives.

Imagine the horror of leaving the nest without a mature, functional pair of wings!

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They Have No Direction

Parents and teachers in most cases have done a less than effective job of preparing our young people for the real world. They did not encourage them into any particular profession or career path. Oh sure, they bought them laptop computers and I-phones and they told them they would be great at whatever they did as long as they did their best, but they did not map out a clear path for adult success.

Many parents and teachers told kids that they should become computer literate, get a good education and avoid dirty jobs where physical labour is involved.

Of course, they wanted the best for their kids when they provided all of that support, but they did not think it through; they did not balance their encouragement and advice with research and practicality so that they could provide clear direction to their progeny.

Hence, many of our youths are wandering the streets, avenues, and shopping malls of North America with a deeply embedded sense of despair and no clear plan for their lives. Here is what they might be thinking:

“Should I be a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmacist, a writer, a teacher, a computer programmer, a rock star, a movie star, a disc jockey, an entrepreneur, an employee, a CEO or a taxi driver? Mom and Dad told me I would do well at anything I tried but what in the name of Bill Gates and Britney Spears, should I try? I don’t know what to do!”

What Is the Answer? How Can We Fix It?

It is never too late to help your children find their true calling.

The first thing you need to do is sit down with them and ask…

“What do you want to do?”

Do not assume that what you want for them is the right thing because if you try to force them to do something that you feel would make a wonderful occupation for them you might find that it is quite the opposite of what they want.

In the worst case scenario you might also eventually find out that they are simply not capable of doing well at it after spending thousands of dollars on education costs. Let’s face it, everyone cannot be a great surgeon or a skilled airline pilot and in both cases, the practitioners of those occupations must be extremely good at what they do. Just doing their best when their best is not good enough will not cut it.

Know Your Skills

Create an unthreatening, safe environment and have an open, honest discussion with your kids about what they want and then agree to help them achieve it. If they are completely confused and simply have no idea what they want to do, you might have to dig deeper.

In that case, you can employ a professional employment counsellor to work with him or her. That can be quite costly however, so for much less expense, you can do a skills and talent assessment that will point you both in the right direction.

Most assessments can be done online with a report generated on your computer within seconds of the survey being completed. They are very accurate and extremely helpful.

For maximum clarity and impartiality you should have a trained professional debrief you and your son or daughter on the report. Once you have been through it, you will have a much better idea of what sort of occupation your kids belong in.

No Clear Direction

Your Kids Might Not Have Any Clear Direction For the Future

Once you have accepted that they have no plan for the future, ask them if they know where they want go and what they want to do. Make it clear that even though their direction might not be what you expected, it is okay with you and that you will support them.

“Do not make the assumption that they will get by on their brilliance and sparkling personalites.

Although they might seem mature to you, they are just young impressionable people who need a boost from you to make the next big step in their lives.

You created them and they are yours from birth until death. You owe them every opportunity to succeed.

**********

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——————–
Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
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A Leader’s Boss: The Key to Success

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Cheryl Dilley

Roller Coaster

Everyone has a boss. Even the CEO answers to the Board of Directors. The BOD answers to the employees and shareholders. In the workplace, one’s boss can be a key ingredient to the performance of a leader and their team.

We’ve all heard this phrase:

 “A leader is only as good as the people who work for them.”

Successful Leadership

In order for a leader to be highly successful, they must also have support from their boss.

This is true:

  • No matter the role
  • No matter the size of the organization
  • No matter the position

So what do you do if your manager does not provide a sufficient support infrastructure?

What if your boss or leader doesn’t have your back?

A Story of Teamwork

In 2004, I took the role of managing an organization that very different for me and my experience. It was vastly different because, for the first time in my 15-year career, I didn’t actually know the intimate details of what my team did.

Fortunately, my manager at the time was one of my biggest fans and had faith that I was up for the challenge.

Historical Perspective

Previously, I had always started as an individual contributor and grew the program into a worldwide organization.  I had done this several times in my career.  This was easy because I had a natural progression knowing the ins-and outs of every facet of the business unit.

However with this new position, this was the first time that I actually had to rely on my team to get the job done and take the high road on leading versus being a program manager who also happened to manage.

The team had tremendous growth and achievement in their first two years under a much more collaborative management style than they had previously.

As time went on, I ended up with a new manager after two years; someone I didn’t know.  She was not the same as my previous boss who supported me unconditionally.

As we all know… at most big companies, organization changes are inevitable. Some are good, and others come with more challenges…

Changing Gears

I could tell this new boss was extremely passionate about her people,  but had many misperceptions about my team and how we drove our business.  For a team who had come a long way in customer orientation and optimizing a hugely complex program that touched most of the company, having a general manager who didn’t “get it” became not only a challenge, but a roadblock.

After struggling for a few months and seeing the impact on the team, I decided the only way to educate my manager was to do this:

Bring her along for the ride!

Game Plan: Leading Up

I had her attend every kickoff meeting, post-mortem, and site visit.  I spent the time with her openly discussing what was working well, the challenges and what the team was doing about it.

After the fourth round, she started to see the team the same way I did.

She saw us as a group of dedicated, talented individuals highly committed to their craft.

Enjoying the Ride

Since that experience, I have kept this recipe for bringing support from above along for the ride:

  • Provide the leader every opportunity to observe the team in action.

Give them the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Understanding a team’s challenges is as important as understanding the successes.  A leader can only help if they know what is needed.

  • Make them part of the process.

Ask your manager to kick off face to face meetings, attend important working sessions, meet 1:1 with your team members and with every opportunity, deliver the team’s elevator pitch above, below and sideways.

  • Show them, don’t tell them.

A presentation is only words on paper.  “Actions speak louder than words” (Fran Lebowitz).

  • Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.

Keeping a leader informed, not too much, not too little, but just the right amount keeps them engaged and committed.  If you don’t inform them, someone else will or they will make up their own perceptions.

  • Coach your team on executive interaction, expectations and team representation.

Knowing how to manage up isn’t knowledge given at birth, it needs to be taught and role modeled.  Make your team aware that the spotlight is always on.

  • One unsatisfied customer who escalates is 100 times louder than 1000 satisfied customers.

Treat everyone the way you want to be treated regardless of the reciprocation.

Implementing these actions not only ensures your manager has your back but it provides clear expectations on not only what you expect from your team, but clearly lets your team know what your manager expects from you.

The benefit is a healthy team led with transparency!

——————–
Cheryl Dilley is a Program Director at Intel Corporation
She is a transformation leader, coach, and program strategist
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On Leading and Accountability

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Aryanne Oade

Workplace Bullying

It’s fairly straightforward to work effectively alongside responsible colleagues.

Responsible colleagues generally want to work hard, want to make progress on the tasks that sit with them, and want to build productive relationships with you and their other workplace contacts.

They may, from time to time, get things wrong or make mistakes or fail to attend thoroughly enough to something important. But these are likely to be genuine errors and not actions borne out of irresponsible or purposefully unreliable behaviour.

Irresponsible Colleagues

It’s the latter two that are a completely different kettle of fish. And these types are much more confusing and troublesome to deal with.

Irresponsible colleagues:

  • Don’t always want to work hard
  • Often aren’t committed to quality outcomes
  • May well actively look for opportunities to coast or take credit for work they haven’t done

They are Sly

These colleagues often come to work simply to get by, doing just enough to get through the day without drawing undue attention to their slipshod ways.

They are Slippery

Some of these co-workers are also very skilled: at appearing to be busy when they are not, at manipulating the perceptions of those above them and at covering their backs. Others simply approach their work in a careless way and seem to get away with it.

Hopefully, you won’t have to cope with this kind of irresponsible conduct that often but, when you do, it can be wearisome to say the least.

They are Shifty

Irresponsible colleagues are, in my view, irresponsible because they get something they value out of taking this approach. It will vary from person to person, but one of the key things they gain is the opportunity to avoid being accountable, to avoid having to engage and work hard, to avoid having to make decisions and take the consequences of them.

Avoid, Distract, and Point Fingers

When put on the spot by co-workers frustrated at their approach irresponsible colleague can be expert at shifting the focus of the conversation away from their own shortcomings and onto other issues. They can:

  • Dodge the issues put to them.
  • Create fog around the key points they are asked to address.
  • Obfuscate and change the point of the conversation onto other issues instead.
  • Place responsibility for their lack of endeavour with other people, including you for daring to hold them accountable.
  • Disown their irresponsible behaviour and shift the blame elsewhere.

These behaviours can be exasperating to deal with and can result in you feeling annoyed, confused and powerless. And you could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that an irresponsible colleague is beyond your influence.

And yet, it doesn’t have to be that way…

Influencing Irresponsible Team Members

You can use behaviour which holds an irresponsible colleague to account

To do so, you need to find the resolve to carry out your plan and you need a suitable example of their wayward behaviour around which to build your feedback. When you decide to tackle your irresponsible colleague – when you decide to call them on their counterproductive approach

Try the following:

  • Set up a one-to-one conversation with your colleague away from other people.
  • Take control of the conversation from the start and don’t waver from your commitment to remain in the driving seat throughout it.
  • Use a calm and steady tone, one that is neither emotional nor unassertive, and maintain a firm and measured delivery style throughout the conversation.
  • Play back to your colleague exactly what they said or did or did not do, describing their actions and words as a series of facts which cannot easily be disputed.
  • Make it clear to your colleague that, as a direct consequence of their irresponsibility, there will be unpleasant consequences for them to deal with, consequences which will be awkward and embarrassing for them to handle.
  • Describe what these consequences will be, making a direct link between their conduct and these particular outcomes. Make sure that you enforce these consequences so that, this time, the difficulty which ensues from their irresponsible behaviour sits with them rather than anyone else. (For instance, you may say that as a direct result of your colleague failing to get you the data they promised to get you by the agreed deadline you will both now be going to meet your joint Director so that your colleague can explain to them in front of you what prevented them from meeting the deadline.)

Accountability and Consequences

This last point above about consequences in crucial

Irresponsible colleagues are often enabled in their irresponsibility by conscientious and industrious colleagues covering for them, doing their work for them, and clearing up the messes they have left behind.

This is all done from the best of intentions but is ultimately a misguided strategy, one which perpetuates their colleagues’ irresponsibility.

As long as an irresponsible colleague has someone willing to cover for them, they will remain irresponsible, content in the knowledge that someone else is doing their share of the work and taking care of things on their behalf. But as soon as the consequences of their irresponsibility come home to roost, and it is the unreliable colleague who feels the rap, then they may well be minded to think again.

And that is where your true influence lies: by pointing out and enforcing fair but unwelcome consequences on your irresponsible colleague, such that they re-think their unreliable conduct and apply themselves more diligently in the future.

:: EDITOR’S BONUS :: Free Resource from L2L

You may like to download for free the following two manifestos which the author wrote last year. They deal with how to handle bullying and adversarial behavior in the workplace, two of the more extreme forms of irresponsible behaviour which you might encounter at work.

If you know of anyone else who might be interested in them please forward the links to them:

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——————–
Aryanne Oade is Director of Oade Associates
She is a Chartered Psychologist, executive coach, workshop facilitator, author & public speaker
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Books | 00 44 (0) 7747 868 368  

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