On September 26, I posted an article titled don’t become a hostage! I spoke of two examples of managers being held hostage by troublesome employees. I stated that one of the managers had an Epiphany that led to terminating the employee in question. A new manager resolved the other situation last week.
Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to evaluate the situation correctly.
As you may recall, the lingering situation was in a big box retail store where an Assistant Manager created continual unrest. Since my original post, a few exciting changes have occurred. The first and most important was the resignation of the General Manager. He left to take a job in a different industry sector. A more experienced general manager replaced him. These changes happened shortly after the publication of my article, almost exactly a month ago. After a month of studying the situation in his new assignment, the new General Manager transferred the troublesome subordinate to another store. She is now working under the General Manager who originally trained her.
So why did the new general manager act on the situation, whereas the former GM ignored it?
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- Experience beyond this company
- External networks of competent employees
- He refused to be a hostage
The former GM was still learning the job while dealing with a dysfunctional team. He was not fully competent and lacked confidence. I suspect that his boss, the District Manager, was culpable as his direction for this GM was lacking.
On the other hand, the newly appointed General Manager is an accomplished GM. He has significant prior General Management experience with another big box retail brand. Competent and confident in his leadership abilities, he took a different approach to the situation.
A toxic employee can do significant damage to a work environment. Team cohesion, morale, and eventually productivity and profitability will be affected. Wise managers know to deal with the situation immediately. They do not let them faster, to metastasize into an even bigger problem. The situation question went on for far too long. As I stated earlier, I lay the blame on the Regional Manager. He had long known of the situation. His strategy included a meeting where he told the team to “work out” their differences. It is no surprise that the team could not resolve their issues by themselves. A more experienced, decisive leader replaced the former GM. It was only then that the problem was correctly identified and resolved. I hold the regional manager responsible for the problems created by his inability to resolve the issue.
When this type of disciplinary issue arises, decisive intervention is required. The resolution should include progressive discipline supported by the appropriate level of documentation. The next-level manager must become involved when a manager is not fully competent. In this case, the fear of going through the holiday season shorthanded clouded management thinking. They became hostages. There is no justification for suffering under these circumstances, as there is always a solution.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, managers cannot avoid the need to discipline disruptive employees on a timely basis. Concerns about terminating a toxic employee because it may leave a hole in the management ranks are invalid. On the contrary, failure to address toxic behavior guarantees that the team will become shorthanded. The irony is that the best employees will leave first. They have options. The team that remains will be less competent, less functional, and less productive. This is a concern that second and third-level managers must be tuned into. The good news in my example case is that a new manager understood the need to act decisively. He found a way to eliminate the toxic employee. He did not allow himself to become a hostage to someone’s poor behavior.
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Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
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