How to supervise difficult employees.

How to supervise difficult employees

Most employees exercise good judgment, follow company policy and listen to reason. But this is not true of all employees. Some won't change their work habits or behavior without a confrontation. These people are often irrational, unreasonable and

These are the times supervisors must disagree without being disagreeable. The heavy hand -- if it ever worked -- doesn't work today.

Those in positions above are constantly watching how their supervisors deal with difficult people. But more important, is how these confrontations are handled. The results have a direct bearing on the supervisor's career. Here's why.

Getting things done through people

Supervisors are hired to get things done through people. That's their primary responsibility! It's an awesome responsibility, particularly when you look at it from the perspective of the firm's allocation of funds. Almost without exception, payroll takes the largest share of the entire operating budget. More specifically, this boils down to the question: "Are our supervisors getting the best return -- through their subordinates -- on the payroll dollars?"

To get the best return on the payroll dollar, supervisors must be able to build an effective team that produces. They can't afford to spend endless hours coping with difficult employees. Or worse still, allowing long dragged-out haggling to affect productivity.

Practical tips

Studies show that most supervisors are well trained for their jobs. Yet most of them are unable to handle even the least difficult confrontations. The reason is obvious. They've never been taught how to handle difficult people.

The practical down-to-earth tips of this article have been tested and proven. While they are not guaranteed as a panacea or a cure-all for every problem that pops up, they will certainly help you the next time a subordinate tries to put one over on you. You'll be more pleased with yourself in the way you handled the situation.

The power of questions

The secret -- and it seems to be a secret according to many participants in my seminars and to many people I meet on consulting assignments -- is to start with questions, not with statements.