If you don’t know our leadership arsenal section, then you should know that last time we covered Choosing Your Managerial Style. Today I would like to talk to you about some other things : who to fight with and how!

Choose your Battles and Your Battle Style

There comes a time when someone is not doing what is expected of them. It could be a myriad of any number of problems. Constant lateness, absences, not carrying their share of the weight or attitude problems. As leader you will be forced to deal with these and how you do so will reflect on your abilities. Again, you will be faced with a number of ways to act. You could be aggressive, passive or assertive.

An aggressive approach will usually lead to yelling, demeaning and threatening. “How could you be so stupid, I told you this had to be done by today. If you screw up again I will fire you.” The result is team members working in fear. Your aggressive behavior will erode their self-confidence and will likely lead to more mistakes. Workers grow resentful and become unwilling to contribute more than is minimally necessary to complete the job. Their stress levels are always at peak and can result in health issues that further reduce productivity. Your own health can be adversely affected by such an approach.

A passive approach does not deal with the existing problem. Perhaps you hope the issue will resolve itself. Maybe you take every little thing into consideration. For example: “It’s not their fault they missed another deadline. This time their cat died and they were upset.” Whatever the reason you do not confront the person in an upfront manner. This can lead to another batch of problems. Firstly, the problem does not get resolved and thereby leaves the door open for it to reoccur. Secondly, you won’t have the respect of your team. They will quickly come to realize that they can take advantage of you and are likely to do so at every opportunity. This passivity will most likely affect productivity and as a result substandard work will be produced.

Using an assertive approach is the most affective.

Take the time to evaluate the problem. Analyze the reasons the problem occurred and devise a solution. Once you have this clear in your mind, call a meeting with the team member. Clearly outline what you see as the problem and give them the opportunity to express themselves. Listen for any new information that may force you to re-evaluate and incorporate it into your plan. Ask the team member what they think is a solution. If it is reasonable alternative or if it is the solution you’ve already devised, implement it. If not, calmly and clearly explain what you expect and what the consequences will be should the team member fail to comply. Be sure to set a future meeting to ensure that your expectations are being met. A lot of companies expect such meetings to be documented and a copy given to the employee. This is a good idea because it ensures that both parties remember “correctly” what has transpired so there is no confusion.

Again, there are exceptions. At times, I’ve found that a full out “Come to Jesus Meetin’” was necessary to stir up the pot and get team members back on track. Other times, I’ve found it more useful to ignore a problem and let the team member(s) come to terms with it themselves. Each situation, each person, merits a different approach. Finding the right one is always the challenge.

If you enjoyed this article you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed and stay close for our next leadership arsenal article, soon.