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8 Steps to Take Before You “Whack” That Employee

by Kelly Ketelboeter on June 29, 2010

It's not that easy!

The time has come.  There’s no more denying it.  You have put up with it for way too long.  It’s finally starting to hurt your team, your results and your customers.  You have finally come to the conclusion that holding out hope is a fruitless process.  It’s time to…GULP… fire that under-performing employee and get rid of your problems once and for all!

Before you can “whack” Suzy Q you head to HR, as every good manager does.   And the conversation probably goes a little something like this…

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HR has thrown a flag on your play to have Suzy Q removed.  You realize you have to go back and put up with her for at least another 30 days.  A lot of managers have found themselves in this same predicament at one time or another.  You want Suzy Q off your team.  You have put up with her for long enough.  And while that may be true, you need to show that you have given Suzy Q every opportunity to turn her performance and behavior around.   After all, its only fair to give Suzy Q that chance.

Many managers have a tendency to ignore poor performance.  Sometimes they do it because of excellent performance in another other area.  Sometimes they do it because they don’t want to confront the employee.  Sometimes they do it because the don’t know what to do or how to do it.  And sometimes they do it because dealing with a poor performer is better than dealing with no one at all.

When we ignore poor performance we are actually endorsing that performance. We are telling that employee and others on our team that level of performance is acceptable.  The minute you see performance starting to slip you owe it to your employee, yourself and your team to take the necessary steps to turn it around.  So what do you do?  Well the following coaching behaviors are a good place to start.  You can use any of these skills or a combination of these skills.  When it comes to coaching a one size fits all approach won’t work.  The key is to start somewhere.

1. Reiterate the expectation.

Before you can address a performance problem you must make sure the employee actually knows the expectation.  When discussing the expectation with the employee, talk about the behaviors that are necessary to meet or exceed the expectation.  HR wants to know that this step has been accomplished before the “whacking” can begin.

2. Focus on behavior.

Now that you have reiterated the expectation and discussed appropriate behaviors, you want to look for the absence or presence of those behaviors.  The key here is to focus on what you see the employee doing or not doing in regards to the expectations, not the person.

3. Point out the positive.

When you see or hear the employee meeting or exceeding the expectation, let them know.  People learn what to do and what a good job looks like when they receive positive reinforcement.  When pointing out the positive be sure to be specific, focus on the behaviors and then discuss the impact of those behaviors.

4. Set goals.

Goal setting is a powerful way to include the employee in the process of fixing the problem.  After all you aren’t the one with the problem, the employee is.  And you can’t fix it, the employee has to.  Follow the SMART goal setting process for the expectations or goals that the employee is not meeting.  Make sure the employee develops a specific action plan and discuss what you will do to support them.

5. Celebrate progress.

Even if the employee hasn’t achieved the goals or met the expectation yet, don’t wait to give them feedback.  Celebrate the progress, they are making towards the goals and exceeding the expectations.  This will add fuel to their fire.  Don’t wait for perfection.

6. Coach them on the fly.

Some of us are guilty of having a meeting, setting goals with an employee and then putting it to the side for the 30 or 60 day waiting period.  Well, out of sight, out of mind.  You have got to follow-up with that employee.  You can coach them on the fly in 2 – 5 minutes.  Focus your coaching questions around their goals.  Discuss what’s working for them, what challenges they are faced with and what they will do to address those challenges.  Help the employee discover what they need to do for themselves.

7. Have a coaching intervention.

A coaching intervention is something you want to do before the verbal and written warnings.  Not only do you want to give the employee a chance to change their behavior, you also want to show HR you have taken the necessary steps to address the performance.  A coaching intervention is a formal meeting to reiterate the expectations, focus on the behavior, outline the consequences and develop an action plan.  That way when you get to the verbal warning it won’t be a surprise to the employee.  It also makes that process so much easier because you have already done most of the work.  Often times I have found that I didn’t even need to escalate things to a verbal warning.  Some people just need to know the consequences of their behavior and that they will in fact be held accountable.

8. Hold them accountable.

I love that old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink the water.”  Or something like that.  As a coach, there is only so much you can do to help your employees performance.  Ultimately you must hold them accountable for that performance and their choices.  This means pointing out the positive if they are making progress towards or have achieved their goals and setting new goals.  It also means taking the next step in your progressive disciplinary process if the behavior has not changed.

Don’t wait for that last straw that breaks the camels back.  Coach your employees every day.  Have honest conversations about their performance.  Help them see and achieve their potential.  Most of all, be prepared the next time you go to HR and show them that you have done everything you can to help Suzy Q.  And go to sleep at night knowing that ultimately, it’s up to Suzy Q if she wants the job or not.

What other advice would you give a manager before they can “whack” that employee?  We would love to hear from you!

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A Lesson for Tired Teams

by Jen Kuhn on May 4, 2010

The “team approach” to work has become a tired slogan, a managerial fad, a forced concept. Many leaders and employees forget that they are working for something bigger than their own personal needs. They lose their passion and drive; they wear blinders that prevent them from seeing the big picture. Lost is the energy that initially helped drive their productivity.  Basically, a dog after a long walk…it starts out as a great idea, but it ends up exhausting all involved.

What are the elements of productive teams?  How do you create an atmosphere that fosters a team approach?  My initial thought was to create an analogy between athletic teams and organizations.  However, being a die hard Detroit Lions fan, I think I’ll choose another approach.

I recently attended a true team event at St. Francis DeSales High School.  The school sponsored a Relay for Life event which gives communities a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.


During this event, I witnessed the elements of a team that every organization should strive to implement.  These DeSales high school students (and some awesome adult volunteers and cancer survivors) lived and breathed the ideal of a high functioning team.  With the additional presence of representatives (Sheizka Komala and Ann Dee Hamilton) from Aflac, from students, parents and grandparents from Whetstone High School, plus additional vendors, the St. Francis DeSales community modeled an effective team.

The elements of an effective team that I witnessed:

1. Common Purpose: The students were educated and aware of the purpose of their participation.  They either had a personal experience with cancer, or wanted to support others.  The purpose was effectively communicated by the event coordinator, Kellie O’Riordan who lost her mother (Barbara) to cancer.  Kellie ensured that the students understood the solemnity and hope the relay represented.  Every student I spoke with was able to verbalize the purpose of the event.  If I visited your organization, would every employee be able to verbalize your purpose?

2. Motivation: What an amazing sight to witness: teenagers motivated to create a better future for others!  And to take this a step further, they did not confuse motivation with results.  They already had their sponsors and raised their money…yet they were highly motivated to follow through on their personal commitment in order to achieve results.  That’s true motivation.  You can tell me how enthusiastic you are about something, but are you doing the behaviors that demonstrate your enthusiasm?

3. Individual Responsibility in a Group Setting: Every student stepped up to the plate. Prior to the event, individuals of each team raised money, designed t-shirts and coordinated group efforts. During the event, they made sure they had someone representing their team (walking/jogging) for 24 hours.  After the event, individuals helped with post event details that required a great deal of attention.  How well do the individuals on your team contribute to the success of the group?

4. Flexibility: Due to weather, the relay was held indoors (demonstration that a team needs leadership to support decisions that will help them be most effective).  This required students to walk the halls of the school rather than the track they had prepared for; they had to set up their “tents” in the gym rather than the outdoor field. I didn’t hear a single complaint.  What I did hear were students asking about how to get water to others, whether or not there were fans available and how to use cross-ventilation effectively!  What would happen to your teams’ effectiveness if they encountered an obstacle that changed all of their initial expectations?

5. Identity: Each team developed a name and created a t-shirt. It was easy to spot members of individual teams.  They also had a greater identity: their common purpose noted in the first point.  This created camaraderie at two levels: the smaller team composed of individuals who had bonded together while preparing for the event; and the larger team: all the participants, whether they be a team, volunteer or survivor.  What is your organization doing to create identity?

Teams are important to any organizations’ overall success.  Please let us know what you think makes an effective team!

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Wednesday: Whining Employees

by Jen Kuhn on March 17, 2010

I’ve never worked with, at or for a company that does not have one or two chronic whiners.  No matter what you introduce, they find fault.  These are the people that complain about a free meal (“Pizza for lunch? We had that last time. Why can’t we ever get anything else?”).  Ah, how pleasant.

Several years ago, I was working with a company to help enhance their coaching skills.  All of the people I met were in positions of leadership.  On one of the breaks, a gentleman approaches me and begins a conversation about their holiday party. He stated that it was the worst one yet. They were finally allowed to invite a spouse/significant other. Upon arrival, he said there was barely any food left. To paraphrase, “My wife got a first hand experience of how cheap this company really is…running out of food! Can you believe that?  Then they send people out for chips and order some pizza.  How tacky.”  I responded by saying something like, “Sounds like you were disappointed.” Way to add fuel to that fire. He ranted for 5 more minutes.

On the next break, I avoided eye contact with him. I was speaking with a newer employee, and she asked me, “Did you hear about our holiday party?!”  I wanted to run. She continued, “It was the BEST! My fiance and I got there after it started and there was no food left. Our CEO is calling pizza places and asking ME what I liked on my pizza! He doesn’t even know me and I just started working here! Then, he hands my fiance money and asks if he would mind going with some others to pick up chips and dip. How cool is that?”  She went on and on about how excited she was to finally be working for a company where they cared about their employees and where the CEO connected with everyone.

Same event, different interpretations. As a coach, how do you deal with chronic complainers if stun guns are not an option?

Here are some common employee complaints coaches have shared with me.  I’ve added some possible responses to consider.

Employee: Why do we have to do it this way? We’ve never done it this way before?

Coach: You’re right. We are using a new approach. What concerns you most about using a new approach?

Employee: Do they have any idea how busy we are? They keep calling us with the same questions!

Coach: You’re right. We work in a fast paced department. What ideas do you have to help other departments find this information on their own?

Employee: Why do I have to attend that training?  It doesn’t even apply to me.  What a waste of my time!

Coach: There may be some parts of the training that do not directly impact what you do.  I want you to listen for things that do apply to you and tell me about them after the training.  I’d also encourage you to attend the training with an open mind; my expectation is that you challenge yourself to discover something new and connect with at least one person from another department.

I could go on and on with complaints that coaches have brought to my attention.  Yet you’ll notice a pattern in the responses I’ve provided.  The coach validates what is true within the complaint, then challenges the employee in a non-threatening manner to work toward a solution.  If every complaint is addressed this way, eventually the complainers will learn that you will hold them accountable for solutions, and that despite their complaining you are not going to change your course of action.  This should lessen the number of complaints you hear (as long as you are consistent with your responses).  Whiners want an audience.  Don’t give them one.  Give them a coach.

If you have other ideas about dealing with whiners and complainers, please share them.  You’ll be helping a coach who is currently hiding under their desk in an attempt to avoid the chronic complainer!

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