How To Navigate Difficult Discussions And Decisions In The Workplace
Originally published in Forbes.
Sometimes, leaders have employees who do not belong on certain teams or in certain positions, whether it is due to an inability to complete tasks, achieve results or adhere to the same value system of the organization.
When employees are allowed to remain in a role they are not suited for or do not care about, they can negatively impact those around them and quickly damage the team’s culture. This is when managers must step in and ensure there is a level of accountability. Leaders hold people accountable by not shying away from having tough conversations and making tough decisions, as avoiding these important conversations and decisions will only compound the issue.
Let’s start with tough conversations.
Tough Conversations
Before you have to make the tough decision of whether or not to let someone go, managers must be willing to have tough conversations as one method for getting poor performers back on track. I’ve seen that this task in many organizations is left to human resources departments, which relieves managers of having to engage in one of their important leadership tasks. But I’ve found this isn’t always the best approach.