When Enough is Enough

(Fourth in a series on Aligning for Productivity)

"Failure to deal with the problems people and organizations face can be the most unloving action of all."

(Leith Anderson, Dying for Change)

"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is… self‑condemned."

(Titus 3:10-11)

For many supervisors the most difficult part of leadership is confronting someone whose behavior or performance is unacceptable. Remember, the purpose of corrective action is not to punish the individual for poor behavior or poor performance. Instead, your goal as a leader should be to help the person find the best place where their personal sense of calling, vision and life goals are aligned with and contributing to the organization's vision and mission. It is your responsibility as a leader to help people understand the vision and adjust their behaviors to align with it to the degree that they can. .

A noncompliant person should be made aware of the consequences of continued failure to meet expectations. Even if the individual becomes grudgingly compliant, there comes a point where such passive-aggressive behavior becomes destructive and unacceptable. I have found the two-warning rule to be very helpful in such cases. It's one thing for a person to use their influence to effect change that can help the organization fulfill its mission. It's something else entirely, however, when the complaints become destruction and contrary to the direction established by the organization's leadership.

Outplacement is often seen as a heartless action. The real heartless action, however, is when an unacceptable behavior is allowed to go unchecked until things have gotten unbearable for others working close to the offending individual. It's like a father I overheard "correcting" his young child who was misbehaving: "I'm only going to warn you about this 17 more times and then I'm really going to do something about it!" Of course, the child went on being obnoxious and unruly, disturbing everyone else within sight or sound.

Supervisors should recognize that failure to take administrative action hurts both the offending individual and the whole organization. Sometimes, the most loving action a leader can take is to help dissatisfied individuals to discover another place where their personal sense of calling can align with and contribute positively to the vision of that organization.

Grudgingly compliant people can be like a cancer growing in the organization. The longer you delay taking definitive action, the more you allow the cancer to grow. Long-growing cancers require more extensive surgery and more serious post-operative treatment. In the same way, if corrective actions have not helped the individual to make the necessary attitudinal change in a reasonable (and clearly stated) time frame, then the longer you postpone taking action, the more difficult it will be.

The most loving action for all concerned might be to help the individual find another place of service where he or she can find satisfaction and fulfillment. If that is within your organization, that's great... as long as you are not just transferring your problems to another department! If it is in another place, that's great too. Either way, you have the opportunity to help someone reach their maximum potentiality and productivity while also maximizing your organization's resources to realize its vision.

Leadership Hints

• Don't make the mistake of ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away on its own.
• Also, don't make the mistake of jumping to the conclusion that just firing someone will make everything all better.
• Talk with people about the source of their dissatisfaction. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Make every effort to help them grow to an acceptable level of compliance.
• Describe for yourself what the change in behavior will look like, when the change must be made, and how you will know steps are being taken toward the change. Then communicate these very clearly and positively to the individual.
• Don't make threats, but do keep your word--follow through on corrective actions.

Followership Hints

• You really do have a choice.
• Take responsibility for your own attitude and actions.
• Recognize that negative attitudes and actions usually do not produce positive reactions.
• If you have tried to offer positive suggestions of ways to make things better and they have been rejected or ignored, remember—you still have choices.

© Dr. Larry N. Gay, April 2010

http://mylead360.blogspot.com "Lessons on Leadership and Followership"

The Hardest (and Most Important) Lesson on Followership

Dear Reader, Last week about the time I usually would be putting the finishing touches on a weekly blog post, I received one of those phone calls you dread and never want to receive. Rather than dwelling on it here, I'll direct you to the blog page entitled "What For?" (See the page link at the top of the home page of this blog also.) I do not know if the insights on that page will be of any help to you on the subject of Leadership and Followership, but I think it does have relevance. I'll try to return to the series on alignment next week. Larry

Stress and Job Dissatisfaction

(Third in a series on Aligning for Productivity)

One ship sails East, And another West, By the self-same winds that blow, 'Tis the set of the sails And not the gales, That tells the way we go.

(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

Alex and Kim both work for the same organization, in the same job, with the same title, the same boss, and they receive exactly the same pay. Alex loves this job and has very few complaints about the way things are going. Kim, on the other hand, is growing increasingly dissatisfied with the direction the organization is taking and seems to complain about everything. Kim is so stressed by it all that burnout is just around the corner.

After talking with Alex and Kim you might ask, “Are these two really working at the same job in the same place with the same boss?” How can one person love what the organization is doing and be thrilled with the job, while the other person is convinced the whole organization is going down the drain? What makes the difference?

You Always Have Choices

When we are faced with the stress of organizational change, we basically have three choices: 1) stay and be satisfied, 2) stay and be a problem or 3) leave. The option we choose is largely determined by our sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in the job. Like adding weights in a balance, the decision to stay is based on the weight of positive influences contributing to job satisfaction as opposed to the negative stressors that cause dissatisfaction.

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction	Stressors Contributing to Dissatisfaction
( + ) Alignment between personal and organizational vision, purpose, values ( + ) Sense of fulfillment of calling ( + ) Good Relationships ( + ) Appreciation ( + ) Benefits ( + ) “Zapps!” (Encouraging words that build up) [1] ( + ) Helpful Policies ( + ) Empowerment	( - ) Misalignment between personal and organizational vision, purpose, values ( - ) Working outside one’s giftedness or strengths ( - ) Strained relationships ( - ) Rules and regulations that restrict ( - ) Busy work ( - ) Devaluation ( - ) “Saps!” (Discouraging words, criticism that tears down) [2] ( - ) Micro-management
Outcome = Stay and be satisfied	Outcome = Stay and be dissatisfied, unproductive, become a problem, or leave

When the balance tilts to the dissatisfaction side, stress mounts up and can cloud or color the decision-making processes. The longer a person stays in a state of dissatisfaction, the more stress will grow and the more difficult it will be for them to reset their sails—either to realign themselves with the new direction of the organization, or to find a place in another organization that is going their way.

We would like to believe that everyone in the organization is genuinely seeking to be true to their personal vision or sense of calling. For some people, that factor will carry so much weight that it counterbalances all the negative stressors. Other people, however, will come to the point that the only positive factor contributing to their job satisfaction is the personal benefits they receive (including, but not limited to monetary benefits).

‘Tis the Set of the Sails

Grudgingly compliant, noncompliant and apathetic members will exhibit greater levels of stress and job dissatisfaction than will their colleagues who are formally compliant, genuinely compliant, enrolled or committed to the vision. Because their sails are set for a different direction, these individuals will feel their sense of purpose or personal calling is being limited by the organization’s belief system (vision, purpose and values). They will be in a perpetual state of distress that will manifest itself in behaviors that work against the organization’s objectives. In the end, they will be unlikely to reach their personal goals as well.

Leadership Hints:

• What is your assessment of the general morale among the people you lead?
• Look back over the list of factors contributing to job dissatisfaction. If a number of people seem dissatisfied, what common factors can you identify that contribute to the dissatisfaction and stress?
• As you look at the list of factors, what positive actions come to mind that you could take to help people better align with your organization’s vision, purpose and values?
• Are you willing to take action?

Followership Hints:

• How is your sail set?
• As you look back over the list of factors contributing to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction, which way is your balance tilting?
• What steps can you take to improve your own job satisfaction?
• Is there anything you can do to help a co-worker feel more satisfied and fulfilled in their job?
• So, what do you intend to do?

© Dr. Larry N. Gay, April 2010

http://mylead360.blogspot.com/ “Lessons on Leadership and Followership”

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[1] [2] William C. Byham, Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction (Ballantine Books, 1997). In easy-to-read fable form, this book centers on the concepts of “zapping” people with empowerment or “sapping” them with negative comments. Bynam details what managers and organizations must do to create and maintain an empowered work force that will, in turn, be dedicated to constantly improving the organization.