Tag: agression

#22 Disobedient subordinates

I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of people at this point in my career, and all have relativelty been the same person. They each look at one another to establish the standards for themselves, they try their best not to stand out, and all secretly hate themselves. Meet three employees and how to deal with each one of them here.

1. Testing you. If your subordinates are trying to get under your skin by not doing what you ask from them, or managing to do the bare minimum to get by you are probably being tested. It is up to you to decide how you will treat the situation that is facing you in the form of disobedient subordinates. Your reaction or in-action will both be taken personally, be recieved negativley and will potentially benefit the institutuion, otherwise that employee might just quit. However, as a leader you must do something.

2. They are bored and can handle more responsibility. The second type of disobedience stems from boredom, and I think I fall into this category. However bored employees can be just as dangerous as the lazy. They will find discontent where there wasnt any and they will sow seeds that you will find later after they have passed your managment. Keep these employees fed and watered give them more work than they can handle, they will hate you for it, but they will appreciate you for the opportunity.

3. The outright no. There are people who I have worked with who simply do not give a shit about the company, or their peers, or their own selves they show up because they have an obligation that they cannot get out of and they have to pay for something because that is where they are in their lives. These employees are not dangerous, but they are not productive and if you can pay someone else to do their job better, faster, and be an active member of your team, take the plunge and find a role for them where they drive themselves up the wall until they are ready to play.

#15 what is your legacy

As leaders, it is our duty to continuously perform planning for our successors. Every time an email rolls across your inbox and is quickly turned into a later problem we put our future selves and our successors in a less privileged position. Putting off work, doing the same work twice and leaving it to someone else to handle are examples not of procrastination but of a dangerous rainfall on the side of a compromised slope.

Mudslide.

There are of course three steps to take to tackle what you are confronted with.

  1. Confidence. Hang it all out there, take all the doors and roof off and as you scream down the highway see what falls off, until you are lean and mean and agile you will make it to your destination without losing too much.
  2. Aggression. Demand respect and demand peoples ear, if you are consuming time to explain things twice or guide someone down a path that they are just not getting, you are wasting your time. Be aggressive with your time, be aggressive with your words.
  3. Recognition. En mass people are dis-satisfied for not being recognized for their hard work, or perceived hard work. People will groan and gripe about not being recognized. You as a leader must quickly and deliberately recognize your people for their accomplishments, not only will it make them work harder for you, it means you have led them well.

They are simple steps, but easy as one-two-three, and you can accomplish them, I have no doubt.

Your Canadian brother.