In a Nutshell
If I were Jeremy Shockey's
coach, I'd counsel him. The photo above is of Shockey at the end
of a game that his team, the New York Giants, lost on October 28.
Before the game he made derogatory comments to the media about their opponents.
Misconduct like that warrants counseling.
While coaching is appropriate
for employees deficient in knowledge or skills, counseling
is appropriate for misconduct or a lack of motivation. When counseling
employees, it's important to both (1) listen to what the employee has to
say, and (2) uphold standards.
When a valued employee is
having problems with his or her attitude, motivation or personal affairs,
managerial counseling can often guide them to a solution. Furthermore,
even when managerial counseling is not sufficient for dealing with the
problem, it's a good precursor to (a) referral to professional counseling
or (b) termination.
In This Issue
Why I'd Counsel Shockey, and How
Jeremy Shockey is a promising
rookie football player for the New York Giants of the National Football
League. Prior to the Giants' game against the Philadelphia Eagles
on October 28, Shockey had said that some of the Philadelphia players were
overrated. Shockey probably made that comment because he was more
focused on getting publicity for himself or motivating himself than on
doing what's best for the team. I assume that he knew that the Giants
don't want their players saying things to inflame opponents. He knew
he shouldn't have done it, but he did it. Thus, his comments were
a form of misconduct.
If I were the coach of the
Giants, I would invite Shockey into my office to counsel him for his misconduct.
I would go back over the team's philosophy regarding public communication,
and explain why I didn't think his comments were consistent with that policy.
Shockey might argue that he thought his comments were constructive because
they helped him and his teammates to get motivated. I would use my
active listening and constructive communication skills to show him that
I heard his point of view even though I didn't completely agree with it.
It's good for Shockey to get himself and his teammates motivated (i.e.,
I'd "validate" that), but there are appropriate and inappropriate ways
to do boost motivation. I would tell him what I expected from him
in the future and ask him whether he understood and was willing to cooperate.
If not, I wouldn't play him until he changed his attitude. If he
was willing to cooperate, I would conclude the meeting by letting him know
(a) that the episode was forgivable, but (b) what the consequences of repeating
the behavior would be. Repeated episodes of making derogatory comments
in the media about opponents would affect my willingness to put him in
the game. Repeated misconduct would also decrease his value to the
team, which would have an impact on the next round of contract negotiations
he had with the team.
Derogatory comments, other
types of misconduct, and a lack of motivation are probably about as common
in business organizations as they are in athletics. When those things
occur, managers who listen, show that they care, and still uphold standards
can simultaneously improve performance and build stronger relationships.
You Have
to Really Care and Really Listen
I don't think you can counsel
your employees effectively if you don't truly care about them, because
effective counseling can be hard work. A major way in which human
resources differ from the other resources you control as a manager is that
humans have emotions. We profit from the positive emotions like excitement
and inspiration, but we also have to accept and manage effectively the
negative emotions such as anger, frustration, worry and arrogance.
It takes work to deal with the negative side of employees' emotions.
Managerial counseling requires listening
effectively and constructive
communication. It's a lot easier to just be a hard-nosed, "my-way-or-the-highway"
manager. But, managers who can counsel their employees get the most
out of them in difficult circumstances.
Counseling
Doesn't Mean Lowering Standards!
Whether you are counseling
or coaching in response to poor performance, the goal is the same--to get
that poorly performing employee's performance back up to standards (or
back into conformance with the rules). I know that every now and
then you may come across a subordinate who is manipulative or full of malarkey.
I still think that unless those employees have done something that justifies
immediate termination, the best way to deal with them is to listen to their
story at least once. Listening to their story and validating their
feelings doesn't mean that you accept their poor performance or misconduct.
After you've listened to their story and empathized, come up with a plan
for improving performance. That's always the goal.
Managers Aren't Therapists
I strongly recommend that
you avoid asking pointed questions or making assumptions about your employees'
personal lives. Legally and ethically, employees have a variety of
privacy rights. When counseling, focus on the work-related problem.
The work-related problem is often (perhaps usually) the symptom of a personal
problem, but only discuss the personal issues if the employee you're counseling
raises them, and refer the employee to professional counseling for anything
of a serious nature. For example, here's what I'm suggesting.
Appropriate:
You seem distracted at work and your productivity has fallen
off. I really need you to be more productive. Is there anything
I can help you with?
Inappropriate:
Are you having marital problems?
or
I think your drinking in the evenings is interfering
with your job performance.
You can only comment on what you observe employees actually doing or
the results they achieve. Making assumptions about personal problems
is very risky and sometimes unfair. For instance, diabetics have
occasionally been mistaken for alcoholics. You wouldn't want to make
a mistake like that!
Practicing This Management Skill
Prior to meeting with the employee …
In Summary ...
When employees engage in
misconduct or show a lack of motivation, counseling is warranted.
To counsel employees effectively, it's important to both (a) show that
you are listening and that you care and also (b) uphold standards for conduct
and productivity. Most of us find that a tricky balance, but the
best managers pull it off.
Sources
Minter, R. L. & Thomas,
E. G. (2000). Employee development through coaching, mentoring
and counseling: A multidimensional approach. Review of Business,
21(1/2): 43-47.
Salters, L. (1997).
Coaching and counseling for peak performance. Business and Economic
Review, 44(1): 26-28.
Stone, F. M. (1999).
Coaching,
counseling & mentoring: How to choose & use the right technique
to boost employee performance. New York: AMACOM.
About the Newsletter
and Subscriptions
LeaderLetter is written
by Dr. Scott Williams, Department of Management, Raj
Soin College of Business, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.
It is a supplement to my MBA 751 - Managing People in Organizations class.
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