Getting rid of terrorism in the workplace
Q: As a sales manager for a business in Minneapolis, I am responsible for all company revenue. Of the five sales people working for me, only one is a star performer. Ironically, the problem I am having is with him. He frequently breaks rules, creates tension among coworkers, and angers our entire senior team. If I fire him, however, neither the company nor I will reach our number goals. What do I do?
A: I call this type of employee a terrorist! A terrorist is aware of his or her power and uses it to hold others in the company hostage. In dealing with this employee, you need to ask goal, position, and strategy (GPS) questions. You have already identified that, in order to meet business goals, you need this employee. I commend you for taking this step. Your forethought suggests high emotional intelligence, a trait shown to be a key component in long-term career success.
Your next step is to understand the position you and your company are in. Step back, go beyond yourself, and ask, "How did this happen?" It is important to find the root cause. Ask, "Is this behavior regularly tolerated?" Enron's CEO learned two traders were stealing from the company, but he did nothing to stop it. These traders were very profitable, after all. The CEO's lack of action implied that, if you were bringing in enough, you too could steal. This is an extreme case of terrorism, exaggerated by poor leadership. Luckily, in your company, leadership is not accepting such behavior.
After stepping back to look at the big picture, narrow in and decide if "you" have complicity in the situation. To be frank, you may have allowed this to happen. Though I am not making excuses for the terrorist, it is possible his behavior could have been dealt with long ago. I recommend finding a coach or mentor to help build boundaries in your team. Without changes, you will likely face this issue again.
Next, narrow in even further. I invite leaders to ask three questions when dealing with a problematic employee:
- Is the employee capable of learning?
- Do I have the time and resources available to train this employee?
- Is the employee motivated to learn and change?
From your description, it is unclear whether your employee is capable of learning; I will assume he is. I will also assume you have the resources and time to help him. The issue, then, is his motivation. Terrorists are not often motivated. Despite this, it is clear that firing him is not a great option either.
The last part of understanding your position is deciding whether or not to involve others. Since your actions could compromise the company's strategic direction, I recommend involving the CEO or senior team. Given this employee's record, the final decision to fire or retain may actually belong to the team or CEO. It is important to recognize the magnitude of your decision; presuming that lower revenue will require fewer overall employees, it may mean letting many people go, not just the terrorist.
When meeting with the team and CEO, tell them the steps you have taken, and ask these strategic questions: At what point are we willing to take a principled stance on the issue, despite lost revenue? How will our decision affect other employees? Will we need to make cuts to compensate? How will our decision affect the industry? If fired, will this guy go work for a competitor? What impact could this have?
By working with others to answer these questions, feelings of ownership should increase and complaints directed at you should decrease. From my experience, I foresee your team developing a plan that resembles the following:
- Continue coaching the employee.
- Build the rest of the sales staff in order to loosen dependence on the terrorist.
- Start seeking a replacement for the employee.
Through all of this, make sure your sales team knows you are coaching the employee and that his behavior is not being tolerated. It is inappropriate to say anything more about him to others. This will build your credibility as a leader.
