Counseling
Fred, the new manager, was working with Grant, an
employee who wasn’t getting his work done. Fred had
delegated work to Grant, and Grant hadn’t made progress
on the project for almost 4 months . . . long past the due
date.
For the most part, Fred had done well with the first two steps
of delegation and checking. He just wasn’t acting on Grant’s
lack of performance.
The key point in the process that determines if Fred needs
to have a coaching or counseling session with Grant is
when Fred asks if Grant needs anything from Fred to make
the project happen now. If Grant says anything but nothing,
then Fred had coaching work to do. If Grant replies that
there’s nothing he needs from Fred, time for a counseling
conversation.
Coaching is needed when an employee can’t do the
work he needs to do. Counseling is needed when an
employee won’t do the work he is assigned.
Typical situations where counseling is needed include
ongoing poor performance, an insecure employee who is
skilled, but doesn’t do as well as could be expected, an
employee who is allowing personal problems to adversely
impact performance, or employees who have an “attitude.”
They feel angry, frustrated, vindictive, unappreciated or
unrewarded, and they get back at the company by choosing
not to work.
Like with performance problems that require coaching,
sometimes Rule #1 is at work. Managers have inadvertently
“rewarded” employees into non-performance. The manager
has allowed employees to “get away with” not performing,
and the employee finds not working more rewarding than
working. Sometimes doing the work is punishing or not
rewarding: there’s nothing in it for an employee to do a good
job. Or, an employee may not have the authority to get the
job done, or is expected to buck policy or the way it’s always
been done. Or, worst of all, good performance or bad
performance, it just doesn’t matter. No one seems to notice.
If any of these are true, time for a little rehab program for the
manager, and even more work to bring the employee’s
behavior into line.
Fred has made the problem of Grant’s poor performance
worse by letting him “get away with” not getting his work
done. Now he has catch up work to do.
Step one: Prepare for the conversation. If Grant
suggests there’s nothing Fred can do to help him get the
work done, then it’s clear one of two problems is going on:
Grant either doesn’t know how to do it and won’t say he
doesn’t know; or Grant doesn’t want to do it and has some
belief he doesn’t have to. Either of these means time for a
counseling conversation.
Fred’s preparations must include deciding if Grant is willing
to address the issues, alternatives, and consequences of
his poor performance. If Fred has any question about
Grant’s willingness to participate . . . time to check in with
HR.
Step two: Counseling conversations start like coaching
conversations: establish rapport with the employee,
attend to the situation, and keep the context professional,
not personal. Fred needs to be clear that this conversation
with Grant is about his continued poor performance, and the
need for resolution.
Step three: Set the context. Focus on behaviors, not
intent, values, or motives. Fred’s task is to keep the
conversation focused on Grant’s behavior, even if he is
addressing attitude. So he can describe what he’s seen, i.e.
rolling eyes, tsk’ing in response to questions, shrugging
when asked a direct question, rather than labeling or
judging.
Step four: Solicit input from the employee. This is
the time for Fred to listen to Grant’s side of the situation.
Fred needs to maintain professional boundaries and not
get caught up in solving the Grant’s problems for him.
Attitude is Grant’s problem. At some level, you can’t insist
employees think or feel a particular way. But, you can insist
on performance.
Step five: Offer support while expecting a resolution.
Keep the balance between sympathy and solutions.
Fred can’t offer to fix it for Grant. Grant needs to take care of
his personal problems himself. This means Grant has to do
more than 50% of the work towards the solution. Set a
benchmark date for resolution, and commitment to
expectations.
Managers can get into difficulties with counseling
conversations in a number of ways. The first, and most
deadly, is by not checking with HR for assistance and
policy/procedure clarification. Counseling conversations are
designed to resolve issues that interfere with performance,
they aren’t a time to play shrink. Remember you are not
running a mental health clinic, and even if you were, you
wouldn’t be treating an employee. Avoid interpreting, or
telling the employee what the real problem is, even if you
are convinced your perspective is the real truth. They won’t
hear it and they just get frustrated and annoyed.
With either coaching conversations or counseling
conversations, the goal is improving employee performance
and getting the work done. If problems continue, time to
have a more serious conversation with your HR rep. It may
be time to move to the next level.
Patricia Wiklund Ph.D. works with managers who are
challenged with a difficult employee or colleague, and
organizations that need to get back on track to effectiveness
and productivity. Start increasing your management and
leadership skills with her new audio coaching program on
Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Edge. Just click
here: http://www.PatWiklund.com/eiaudiocoaching.shtml
Contact Pat at Pat@patwiklund.com
