Dispel the misconceptions in managing difficult employees

This post came out from The Straits Times (30 September 2011)
Title - Be a positive influence

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Misconception 1 - Managers do not 'deal' with people
2. Misconception 2: Difficult employees
3. Misconception 3: Managers manage employees
4. Misconception 4: Asking 'How?'

On Managers do not 'deal' with people

• The use of terms such as 'deal' are quite revealing about the psychology of the person asking the question. To deal is to contract, to reach an arrangement, to trade or to undertake a transaction.
• While all relationships are indeed some form of contract in which transactions take place, trade offs are made and arrangements are agreed, if we perceive a relationship in such a way, it results in a 'what's in it for me?' personality.
• Managers deal with problems, they deal with issues and challenges, but they do not 'deal' with people.

On Difficult employees

• The term 'difficult employee' is often used in the context of an under performing team member or an individual who is behaving in a way that is counter productive. 
• Poor performance is usually the consequence of the absence of some knowledge, skills or understanding. So-called 'difficult employees' or 'difficult people' have simply learnt a set of behaviours that they believe helps to protect them in certain situations. 

On Managers manage employees

• When managers perceive people as 'employees', 'human resources', or worse still, 'problems' rather than as people and individuals, the nature of the relationship focuses on the transactional, the contractural or 'trade offs'.
• Managers need to adopt a people paradigm and not a dealer paradigm.

On Asking 'How'

• 'How' is the wrong question to ask. A better question would be to ask 'why?'. Why are they adopting the specific behaviours that are causing the difficulties?
• Before it is possible to influence their choice of behaviour, it is first necessary to understand why they adopted it in the first place.
• Only when the root cause has been understood can you begin to explore the 'how' question. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big