The changing world of work series by Kinnery: Managing difficult people

Managing people is difficult.

But managing difficult people? That’s a different beast. If you have a member of your team who doesn’t pull their weight, is disengaged and disruptive, it can be a nightmare.You can struggle to grow. If you have a bad egg on the team, their toxicity can spread internally – and give you a bad rep amongst your customers and clients.

So why do businesses find themselves with these bad eggs? And how can you manage them?

That’s a crunch question, and one that I debated with recently with my friend and fellow coach Anth Quinn.

There are the classic options; Performance management, extra training or – of course – you can always part ways. Sometimes that last option is best for both sides. But then there’s another approach I’d urge any business owner to take in this situation. Look in the mirror.

You see, I’m a I’m a firm believer that every business is a reflection of the person at the top. If you are naïve, the business will be naïve. If they are vindictive, so will the business. And if you aren’t leading by example – then you are not leading properly. During our chat, Anth told me a fascinating story about someone he worked with who spotted their manager using their worktime to buy birthday presents on Amazon.

The message they took from that was as clear as day: if my manager doesn’t care, then why should I?

As leaders this should be at the forefront of your minds when dealing and managing staff. If they sense you aren’t committed, they won’t be either. You need to lead with actions. Staff can quickly turn on the business if they don’t feel like you are committed. Something as simple as buying a few gifts on Amazon can subconsciously be the catalyst for their mood, workrate and commitment to your business shifting irreversibly. But then what do you do once they’ve turned? How do you manage those staff who have become unmanageable? Perhaps the answer is not to manage them at all.

That sounds radical, but there’s a school of thought amongst business coaches that staff actually no longer need managing. They need to be coached.

Management has an ugly connotation these days. To many, it effectively means beating people with a stick until they do what you want. But your staff are not zoo animals. Treating them as such is just going to breed hostility towards you. Staff need to be inspired. They need to feel special. They need to believe in your business on their own – not by being instructed. That’s where coaching can help, and I find that a big benefit of coaching managers and leaders is that the wisdom gained from it typically trickles down through the business.

Staff want to feel galvanised, not bullied. They want to grow – not sabotage – the business because coaching can make you and them feel special.

So maybe the best way to manage difficult staff is not to manage them at all.

How radical is that?!

What do you think? Watch my chat with Anth here to see our thoughts on the subject.