Surface Ripples

What Causes Substandard Behaviour?

I recently commented on a four-step procedure to address poor behaviour by workers in a team.

Apart from someone “trying it on” we, as leaders, need to be aware that there could be other genuine issues causing the behaviour.

As Ashleigh Warner said, “Behind every behaviour is an emotion and behind every emotion is a need. If we address the need, we can address the behaviour.”

In other words, if we were to take the common example I used in my article about someone being persistently late, is there a reason?  For example, are they a single parent who has to get their child or children to school or care?  Do they have to tend to a poorly relative before they can safely leave home?

We have to bear in mind as leaders that all our people are different with different needs and with different motivations.  One quality of a good leader is that they care as much about their workers well-being as their work.

Before launching into dire warnings of disciplinary procedures to follow, it’s worth taking the time to find out whether that worker’s experiencing personal problems that, perhaps, they are ashamed to talk about.  They may have confided in a colleague (have they got a “close pal” in the team?)?

If we as leaders are doing our jobss correctly, our people should be confident enough to share their personal ambitions, problems and fears with us. The key is trust.

What can we do to earn our people’s trust?

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website  provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  

Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 10:49