Bad habits and departmental culture
Are you frustrated by some of your employees who don’t act professionally? Some are unavailable when they are supposed to be working from home, some don’t pay attention to detail and make embarrassing mistakes, some miss important deadlines, some have emotional outbursts in the workplace, and the list goes on and on. Can you relate?
When new clients ask me to help them address behavioral issues with employees, I often wonder how things got so out of control. Typically, someone started to act inappropriately, didn’t get called out on it, and continued to push boundaries because there were no consequences. That set a terrible precedent, and other employees started lowering their own standards. Over time, the situation escalated to a giant mess! It became a toxic departmental culture.
Have a fresh start
If you are finding yourself in a similar situation, it is probably because you didn’t hold people accountable, or maybe you took a job where employees had terrible habits long before you arrived, and now you need to change the culture. In either case, my goal is not to look for who is to blame (that’s pointless) but to decide what to do about the situation.
Obviously, it will be somewhat easier if you are new, than if employees are used to reporting to you and think of you as a push over. But it’s never too late to re-invent yourself and change the way you interact with people.
Raise your own standards and think bigger
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the truth is, big goals are more motivating than small ones. Small goals may seem less intimidating, but they are not compelling and easily forgotten. Ask yourself, how can you transform a small annoying problem into an inspiring vision of the leader you want to become? Here are some examples:
Problem: An employee is blatantly ignoring the feedback you gave, and continues to under-perform, even though you gave them all the resources they needed to succeed.
Vision: How do I become a charismatic leader who inspires respect and continuously works towards improving everyone’s performance?
When you think the problem is having one disrespectful employee, you are likely to feel frustrated, discouraged, or even insulted. From that emotional state, you are not likely to handle the situation to the best of your ability.
However, when the goal is to become a better leader, you have more control over what needs to change (you work on yourself first, as opposed to asking someone else to change when they have no incentive to make any effort).
Blame versus responsibility
I can’t deny that some employees have a horrible attitude and no interest in doing better. But that’s a small percentage of people. Most employees who under-perform experience stress and discomfort due to the recurring complaints, issues, unpleasant conversations, and fear of the future. For them, change will take some effort, and they will have to break old habits, but it will be worth it.
The key to motivating them and to motivating yourself is to stop thoughts and narratives created around being victimized by the situation. No pity-party allowed. Choose to focus on personal responsibility and finding solutions.
What can you do to set new/higher standards?
How can you give your employees what they need to succeed?
How can you hold people accountable?
What do you need to change about the way you lead to inspire respect and collaboration?
Trouble-shooting
Here are some common habits that unintentionally encourage employees to continue exhibiting undesirable behaviors:
Setting expectations but not having accountability measures in place
Not providing employees with what they need to succeed (make sure to listen to what they have to say!)
Not sharing feedback in a timely manner
Cancelling one-on-one meetings when you are busy (that says you don’t value them)
Enabling: for example, giving less work to those who are unreliable (rewarding under-performance)
Letting an unpleasant personality overpower you or make you want to avoid them at all costs
Having so much empathy that you make excuses for people, even when their behavior is unacceptable
Please ask yourself how you may be contributing to the issues you want to see resolved. Don’t blame yourself; this is meant to identify opportunities to do things differently in the future, not regret the past.
Once you realize that you have far more power to change things than you initially thought, you will start to feel better, even before the situation starts improving. No more stories of powerlessness and victimhood!
Next steps
Let’s build some momentum and get things started.
Define what kind of leader you want to be.
Make a list of what you need to stop doing, start doing, and do differently.
Identify what kind of resources, structure, and accountability measures you will need.
Start right away! Make this a top priority.
You don’t have to do this alone. It will be much faster and easier if you team up with an executive coach specialized in higher education. Click here to schedule a complimentary call with me and discuss how I can help you set bigger goals and accomplish them this academic year. Talk to you soon!
About the author: Dr. Audrey Reille has empowered thousands of professionals through one-on-one coaching, group coaching, speaking engagements, and online courses. Audrey is the go-to executive coach for leaders in higher education administration. She empowers them to thrive by improving communication, confidence, executive presence, effectiveness reducing stress, optimizing strategies, improving professional relationships, and developing a strong and empowered mindset.