Supervising and Managing
Difficult Employees
Dr. Bill Johnson II
Clinical Psychologist
Counseling and Psychological Services
OKAY, NOW IF
EVERYONE IS AWAKE
WE CAN CONTINUE!
 The task is hard for several reasons
– Difficulty with confrontation
– Supervisors labeled or even ridiculed by
some as being overly tough or not people
friendly
– Fear of having to go before a higher
authority to address staff dynamics
 May believe that it is too hard to deal with
difficult employees;
 May feel that it takes too much work; they
may think that they will get too much
political heat;
 If you don’t believe you can take action,
you simply won’t be able to take action. It’s
that simple.
 Many choose the path of least resistance.
– Problem linger, and begin to metastasize.
– Sends the message that unacceptable behavior
is acceptable.
– Supervisors who try to avoid one problem now
have to deal with several issues.
 The best method of dealing with difficult
employee situations is to “address them
head on”
“Value people on their
potential, not on their
history.”
DEGREES OF DIFFICULT
SITUATIONS
 New to the job
– This person needs training and guidance to
function at the level we need the job performed
 Enhancing consistency
– The inconsistent employee thrives best under a
manager who relies on short-term memory to
monitor performance.
 Regaining Balance
– Antagonist, maverick or cynic
DEGREES OF DIFFICULT
SITUATIONS
 Content with mediocrity
– Performs the basics of the job; handles routine
tasks at the minimum level expected
 Strictly marginality
– Falls below minimum expectations in most of
the critical aspects of the job
 Intolerable
– little work right, or on time; low output, high
absenteeism, disruptive behavior
“Each of us is a seed of divinely
inspired possibility that when nurtured
in its proper context can and will grow
into the fullest expression of all we are”
Thomas Parham,
Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of California-Irvine
PHILOSOPHY
 Conocete a ti mismo
 Know Thyself
– Lessons from Psychology
– Examine your existing thoughts and feelings
about the person.
– Personal experience
PHILOSOPHY
 Clarify your thoughts
– What is the situation?
– Do I even know enough to say what the situation is?
Who’s involved?
– Am I thinking that a team member is the problem?
– Am I thinking that I’m the problem, that I should be
able to take care of this, but I’m not up to the job?
– What makes this situation difficult to handle? Is it
complicated?
– Can I just see no solution? Or do I see a solution, but I
don’t believe the team member can get there?
PHILOSOPHY
 Remember: You Matter
– “Care for the person, take care of the
problem
– If you feel good, if your energy is up, your
mind is clear, and you have a positive focus,
then you will be a better manager
PHILOSOPHY
 Strength Based Approach
– A hammer sees everything as a nail
– Nourish the flowers, the skills and good
qualities of your team members
 Admit Mistakes
– Developing managerial skill accompanied by
a number of mistakes.
– Important to learn from mistakes
– Barry Bonds vs. Giambi and Sheffield
PHILOSOPHY
 Focus on the performance
– Treat everything else as secondary
 Bring Your Problems to a Head
– The longer a problem is not addressed, the
more difficult it becomes to deal with
 Communicate as Much as You Can
 Give Feedback
PHILOSOPHY
 Ask Your Employees for Advice
– improving performance, and building
morale
Where are we?
 Challenging to address difficult situations
 Detrimental to avoid
 Types of difficult situations/dynamics
 General philosophy for addressing
workplace issues
– Notably
• Strength based
• Self-awareness
“The real art of conversation is
not only to say the right thing
at the right place but to leave
unsaid the wrong thing at the
tempting moment.”
Dorothy Nevill
THE CONVERSATION
 Start by not understanding.
– If we have the slightest hesitation about our
understanding, we should ask
 Relax and be with the person, not the problem.
 Create a no-blame environment.
– When we leave blame out of the picture
– the team can focus on delivering the work.
– We can eliminate the negative aspects of
dealing with personality.
THE CONVERSATION
 Use the sandwich.
– Put the corrective information in between two
slices of good news.
 Decorate the sandwich.
– Be very clear about what needs to be done and
when it needs to be done
 Add the dessert
– If (when) the team member delivers, real
appreciation is due.
– If the situation was difficult for you, then think
what it was like for the team member
“If you're walking down the
right path and you're willing to
keep walking, eventually you'll
make progress.”
President Barak Obama
COMMON WARNING SIGNS
 1. Output decrease. The amount of work getting
done decreases. Sales or production are below
normal.
 2. Work quality. Errors increase. Work is sloppy
and sometimes incomplete.
 3. Due dates missed. Assignments and/or projects
are late, or not completed.
 4. Little or no initiative is shown. The employee
does not start to work without being pushed or
reminded.
COMMON WARNING SIGNS
 5. Tougher tasks and assignments are avoided. The
employee puts off or complains about the more
difficult jobs. Often, the employee’s effort goes
into getting someone else to do the work.
 6. Complaints increase. The employee considers
decisions that are made, tasks that are worked on,
others’ efforts, etc., to be wrong much of the time.
 7. Interaction with others decreases. The employee
turns quiet at meetings or more often works alone.
COMMON WARNING SIGNS
 8. Following and/or taking directions becomes difficult.
Instructions have to be repeated often. The employee
frequently voices reasons why something cannot be done.
 9. Defensiveness or irritability increases. Having calm and
rational conversations with this employee becomes more
difficult. Mood swings become more pronounced.
 10. Cooperation diminishes. Getting along and working
with other employees becomes more difficult. Conflicts
start to happen.
 11. Others are blamed for mistakes or failures. The
employee does not accept responsibility for his or her
actions and is quick to find fault with others.
GET BACK TO WORK!!!
Yellow Flowers