What do you do with an employee with “attitude?”

I coach people on how to improve their businesses and their lives. One of the biggest problems I encounter is the employee (often long-term) who gets on a leader’s nerves. Such people seem to hit hot buttons more often than not, and it wears on the boss. In turn, those in charge tend to avoid the issue by reducing contact and communication, which only makes matters worse.

Running a business is hard work. Businesspeople have seemingly a million things to think about, and the last thing a leader needs is a staff member who is disrespectful, lacks discipline, exhibits poor behavior, and/or has a bad attitude.

One thing you can do is reflect on how the situation arose in the first place. For example, did the person always behave poorly, or is this something new? Has it been brought on by something out of your control, or even out of the control of the employee? Is it possible that you are part of the problem? After all, behavior is seldom a one-way street.

There is really no excuse for an employee to be a thorn in a leader’s side, or in others’ they work with. I prefer a direct approach with such individuals. Set a meeting day and time. Speak calmly and professionally to the person. Be clear and concise. Seek feedback on the issues. Keep your cool, and refrain from a raised voice. Stay in control of the meeting and don’t let the person drag you down to their low level of maturity. This is something they love to do.

If you don’t have an associate that needs an attitude adjustment, great. You are one of the few. Most of us have someone who fits the description above. Deal with them fairly, directly, and professionally. Ultimately, they will appreciate this, and so will others around you.

Here are a few business and life tips to think about:

Business Tips

• Next time you gather your staff to focus on a new project or venture, lead with this question: What is it we’re trying to accomplish?
• If you learn to take on more responsibility, you have a much better chance of earning peoples’ respect and your own authority.
• If you are in a position of influence, you can teach what you know, but more importantly, you can reproduce who you are in others.
• The most important tool in marketing is what you name something, be it a business, product, service, or new venture.
• You don’t know something won’t work until you try it. But do a really good job so you’ll know for sure whether or not it works.

Life Tips

• The benefit of caring for people lies in the fact that you have a chance to influence them for good. The alternative leaves no such option.
• Take the restrictions of life — challenges, problems, and turmoil — to see where opportunities lie. Defy the restriction and succeed.
• Be courageous enough to challenge the status quo without digging a whole so deep that you can’t get out of it.
• We tend to take ourselves and others far too seriously. Isn’t it time to back off a little, relax, and laugh more? You’ll have a lot more fun.
• A friend is not simply someone who “friends” you on Facebook. A friend is very special, one who is with you through thick and thin.

Tags: Advice, Business, Business Tips, Crisis Management, Developing Leaders, Knowledge, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Excellence, Leadership Problems, Learning, Management, Responsibility