Adequate Team Effort

The other evening Tabitha Takes Over came on the television.  What caught my attention about this episode was the business owner's expression of exhaustion and lack of passion.  It drew me to the TV to listen.  The owner of the salon looked exhausted, worn down and defeated.  It was clear she had given up on her business.  It was also clear that her team had given up on the business as well, and, they had also given up on her.  As Tabitha went about her masterful Takeover process she expressed shock at the degree of complacency that had developed in this business and the team.  Not only had the team given up but they had adopted the mindset of settling for low to no standards on cleanliness, reputation (their own included), and customer service.
What disturbed me the most was what happened at the renovation and on the subsequent "reveal day".  During the renovations the team collaborated to do a spring cleaning on the salon.  When Tabitha pointed out the filth in the salon and at their workstations each staff member blamed someone else on the team and the owner.  No one took ownership or responsibility for their work area and said things like, "Not my job!" and, "Why should I have to help clean this place?".  WOW!  Then, after Tabitha's team remodeled the business and gave it an extreme makeover inside and out, aside from the owner, there was not one smile.  They walked through their newly renovated, spotless and modernized salon with no enthusiasm.  They appeared to completely lack interest in all the effort and upgrades that were completed, in part, for their benefit.  Immediately the team members began making comments about everything they did not like.  "I think there are too many colours" and "I wouldn't have picked this type of chair" or "They should have chosen new toys for the waiting area, kids won't like these" were the only things they could find to say.
To bring the team back to a more healthy level of performance, and to stop the complacency, the following steps were implemented to help raise energy and passion:

• A policy manual and procedural expectations were set and documented.  Staff were advised that these must be adhered to.
• The team was held accountable to the new standards.
• The owner was also held accountable to uphold the standards.
• Training and coaching were made available to the team.
• The owner was more present and spent more time in the business

If your team is struggling and has become complacent, revisit the tips that Tabitha offers.  Ensure people know their roles and the roles of others.  Ensure that issues are addressed and dealt with immediately.  Don't allow them to build and grow complacent with them.

Over My Head

I have been asked many questions at the seminars and workshops I have presented. One of those questions pertains to a common situation and I have been asked it so often. As a supervisor, how do you cope with a staff member that won't accept your answer and goes over your head to your manager for "a second opinion"?

Believe it or not, this is so common there is an actual term for it. We refer to it as "triangulation". It needs to be met with firmly yet with diplomacy and compassion as well.

One way to deal with these situations is for the manager to let the supervisor know about the conversation. If the supervisor has already dealt with the situation, the manager could advise the employee that it was not appropriate to disregard the supervisor and bring him/her forward in such a manner. But, communication is essential between the supervisor and the manager. Not just in this situation but also in the time leading up to it. Both the supervisor and the manager need to know that they can comfortably approach each other and discuss these situations in order to come to a resolution in them. It is also essential for the supervisor and the staff member to have open lines of communication because it may well be suggested by the manager for them to come together and discuss the situation again. It needs to be found out why the staff member was not happy with the original decision made by the supervisor. It should also be requested that the supervisor provide feedback about how the employee handled the situation and provide coaching about the organizational expectations around issue management.

I would like to point out two very important factors in this becoming a successful conversation. As mentioned, open lines of communication between all levels of an organization is very important. It needs to be a part of the corporate culture. The second factor is that there needs to be a clear plan regarding issue resolution within the workplace and all employees need to be educated as to what that plan is and the expectations of the organization when such situations arise.

Following these guidelines will help to ensure a healthy and happy workplace environment that can move through issues quickly and smoothly.