Retail Observer

October 2018

The Retail Observer is an industry leading magazine for INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Major Appliances, Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishings

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RETAILOBSERVER.COM OCTOBER 2018 44 I 'm going to confess that, indeed, I remember the Osmond Brothers, and in fact, the very first live concert I attended was a special surprise for my 10th birthday. My parents and I joined thousands of other pre- teens screaming to the snazzy white leisure suit-dressed Osmond Brothers as they jived to the lyrics of "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl..." in Anaheim Stadium. I can't imagine what my parents were thinking, but I was elated. The song lyrics, a spin-off from the original proverb, "One bad apple spoils the barrel," was a plea for the girl not to give up on love just because there was one ill-behaved boy out there. Yet, in recent years, we use this proverb to make excuses for just one person on the team who's not the very best example of what we stand for or support in our organizations. "Well, he brings in his numbers," we might hear someone say as a reason for keeping the abusive sales manager. Or, "He's got a brilliant engineering mind," when someone wonders why that guy gets special treatment and isn't held accountable in the same way as his peers. "Customers love her . . . but no one else wants to work with her," you might hear the business owner say. If we can tie some sort of important result to a person whose behavior isn't in alignment with our company mission or values, isn't it okay to keep them around? In short, no. Although it sometimes may seem painful to imagine your organization without this person's contributions, what you might be missing are the hidden side effects of having someone on the team who really isn't a good fit—a bad apple. What are these likely consequences? 1. Decrease in morale and loss of good workers. Why would any great leader allow someone to break the rules, abuse co-workers or customers, spread malicious gossip, or foster negativity? Why on earth would I want to work there if this is going on? The good ones will be looking for a way out. 2. Loss of credibility in leadership. All employee groups, whether it's explicitly or implicitly stated, have a barometer of fairness by which they are evaluating you as the leader or owner of the business. People don't actually mind being held to a standard of expectations or performance, but they want everyone else to be, too. When we look only at the technical-skill aspect of performance, i.e., sales numbers, tangible results or KPIs (key performance indicators), we miss the overall impact of bad behaviors. You need to hold people accountable for both their technical performance and their interpersonal performance. 3. Lower overall performance. Your employees or team members may be thinking, why should I go the extra mile, strive to stretch my goals, or put in the extra time, when this guy isn't going to and he still gets rewarded? Allowing bad behavior to continue fosters a lack of commitment and a growing sense of apathy. Wouldn't it be better to have an entire team of top performers, regardless of their focus, than just one person who might excel? Do the math! What can you do about these team members if, in fact, they are not helping the long-term success of your organization and might be, like a bad apple, spreading mold spores to infect the rest of the barrel? 1. Have a Courageous Conversation. You must be direct, specific and respectful. If you think it's at all possible to retain them (and their talents) as employees, you need to confront what's been going on and what you want instead. Ask for what you want, be specific, and share the positive outcomes of their willingness to change their behaviors. 2. Identify a "by when". Sometimes, we are so relieved that we actually had the conversation, and addressed the issue, that we leave feeling hopeful that they got the message and will begin working in earnest to make some changes. But if you don't also include a timeframe in which you want to see significant progress or evidence, their sense of urgency may be very different from yours. 3. Make a contingency plan. What if they leave or you need to let them go? Either do your own thinking, or discuss with a trusted confidant or advisor how you want to handle their departure. Sometimes the fear of losing a talented bad apple is worse than the reality of their being gone, and often (if not always) the whole team or organization can turn around and more than make up for the loss of the person. For the future, make sure you have a clear team agreement in place that will help everyone know what's expected in terms of interpersonal behaviors and give you a benchmark for conversations among the whole team. Contact us for a Team Tune-up at libbywagner@libbywagner.com and we can help you create a powerful agreement for your company or team! Culture Coach Classic: WHAT ABOUT THOSE BAD APPLES? DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT TEAM MEMBER Libby Wagner Culture Coach RO Libby Wagner, author of The Influencing Option: The Art of Building a Profit Culture in Business, works with clients to help them create and sustain profit cultures. www.libbywagner.com

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