Manager's Toolkit Series: Lassoing Departmental Desperados

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Want to get a roomful of managers talking? Ask them to share their adventures in managing the truly challenging employee. We're not talking about your garden-variety "needs active management" individual here. No. We're referring to the folks who can wreak havoc by just being themselves on a typical Tuesday. Departmental Desperados are an equal opportunity challenge! And while there may be days when we could swear their main job description should read "concentrates efforts on creating confusion and angst," how you choose to supervise and motivate these people can make all the difference in your own executive effectiveness.

Despite your best laid plans, your egalitarian management style and your common-sense approach to employee relations, you have someone on your team who just won't fall in line. In the face of your best intentions, this individual continues to buck the system in spectacular fashion, and best of all – everyone knows he works for you! Good Grief Charlie Brown! What did you do in a past life to warrant this opportunity for managerial growth?

Sooner or later, if your career involves marshalling the talents of others in order to achieve desired results, you will encounter a management challenge. And the challenge will probably arrive in the form of a fellow human.

If you're reading this while currently in the midst of one of these challenges, you may say "form of a fellow human" needs to read "form of my own private hell." But take heart. With strategic effort, you can do more than survive your time with a Desperado. You can minimize the negative and maximize the positive aspects of your time together. You may even create an opportunity for this employee to shine.

Review background: Start with your HR Department.
What do you really know about the Desperado, besides the fact that he's driving you crazy?

• Does your company have personality assessment results on file for this individual? Do you know this person's preferred work style or communication methods? Do you know this individual's prime motivators? (If not, we recommend the MBTI, the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or DISC Behavioral Profile.)
• Have you read any previous employee performance documentation related to this employee?
• If the employee is a new hire, are there past employment references on file?
• Are there noted accomplishments documented; special projects and/or positive comments from other managers?
• Are there any negative or "needs improvement" commentary from other managers?
• Are you aware of any outside interests, hobbies or community associations for this employee?

Analyze: How's the fit?
Obtain a copy of your company's organizational chart and the latest copy of the employee's job description.

• Review the current documented job description for the employee. Is the job description an accurate portrayal of current responsibilities for the employee?
• Is the job description a good match for the individual's experience and skill-set?
• How is the individual performing in his/her current job slot?
• Is there a clear career path for this individual that can be seen on the organizational chart?
• Is there a position within the organization that might represent a better fit for the competencies this employee brings to the table?
• Has the employee taken on any increased job responsibility in the last two years? Is there a track record of demonstrated achievement?

Coach toward the prize: Starting the conversation.
The first step is the most important part of any journey.

• Once you have conducted your background research and analysis, meet with the employee.
• Share your impressions. Acknowledge the past. Keep the focus on the future.
• Ask the employee to share his/her career plans. Be patient. A stated goal from the employee is what you want to hear.
• Assign the employee the responsibility of creating a "draft plan" which illustrates how the employee plans to reach the desired career goal(s).
• Begin regular coaching around the employee's plan – assisting the employee with regular check-ins and other initiatives designed to support the employee in accountability toward stated goals.

Empower: Begin with good faith.
What's the best definition of a manager? A manager helps employees succeed.

• Empower employees with the responsibility for their own success.
• Clarify your role as manager toward that success and the employee's role toward that success.
• Create an Upfront Agreement regarding your role and that of the employee.
• Establish a clear understanding around the consequences of non-compliance with the agreement.
• Document the agreement and the consequence of non-compliance.

All cool all the time: Keeping the contract.
I'm only human. How do I maintain my commitments to a contract with a challenging employee? (You stay in the drivers seat, that's how.)

• Plan your meeting times with Desperados during days when other stressors are limited.
• Do not honor requested meetings with a Desperado unless it is convenient for you – ask the individual to make an appointment in order to ensure adequate time for quality communication.
• If you must meet with a Desperado and you are not feeling in control, enlist the support of a third party such as your HR Manager, other manager or colleague with supervisory responsibility.
• Always acknowledge feelings – and then keep discussions based in fact. Take notes during scheduled meetings.
• Don't take the bait. Never engage in a heated discussion or other "out of control" exchange with a Desperado.
• Do not acknowledge or lend attention to inappropriate communications or behavior.
• Conversely, if you "catch someone doing something right" offer positive commentary immediately.

Stay anchored in reality: A good steward maintains good perspective.
At the end of the day, we are all responsible for our personal choices.

• Your role as a manager is to empower better behavior, you are not a life preserver.
• Improved performance or improved behavior starts with acknowledgement. Do not begin a contract with an individual who will not acknowledge the need for improvement in the first place.
• You don't need to go it alone. Enlist your HR Manager as your partner in performance improvement plans.
• Know when to call it a day. Know when to end a failed initiative. Do not allow the personal challenges of a single employee to impact the performance or morale of an entire workgroup. Your department looks to you as the leader who sets the course.

Departmental Desperados enjoy wide representation in every sector of the business community. A strategic plan will help you navigate this most challenging of all managerial experience. Hold your employees accountable for their own success and support their efforts toward attaining goals. An emphasis on personal choice will empower your best efforts as you work toward important goals – theirs and yours.

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Tandem Partners is an organizational consulting firm specializing in people strategies that drive business results. Businesses of all types seek our assistance with a complete spectrum of people and organizational issues. For more information on managing individual performance improvement in your work place, please contact Melissa McDaniel at 301-662-2400 or via email: melissa@tandem-partners.com .

Copyright 2007 Tandem Partners

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