We have all run into the occasional “people-problems” within our organizations. These people problems can range anywhere from the employee who resists positive change, to the employee who makes a lot of mistakes, and even the employee who was once fabulous but has slipped into mediocrity. People problems that go un-addressed can cost a company money, hurt morale for the entire team, affect your customers, and hinder your business from achieving a higher level of success.
So how to you fix people problems? You must make time to have a real, direct, and honest conversation with the person (or people) creating the problem. Schedule a one-on-one meeting to get on the same page and formulate a plan to eliminate the problem.
We have outlined the important aspects of a “people-problems meeting” that will result in transformation. The most important part of these meetings is to schedule them! It’s time to stop avoiding addressing these people problems and take action.
People-Problem Meetings
Schedule your people-problem meeting with the team members you have concerns about, and then don’t allow these meetings to end until you both agree about the items outlined below:
– The specific problem(s)
– The consequences of the problems (for the affected employee(s), company, and customers)
– The expectations moving ahead
– The action steps required for the get well plan
– A written commitment from each of you to follow-through on your specific action-steps
Remember, in order to see results there must be constant follow-up and consistent follow-through. If you as the business owner ignore the people problems within your company, then you are the people problem.