Global discipline is an easy way for a manager or supervisor to avoid having a difficult conversation. Often times this occurs during a staff meeting. The manager calls a meeting and gives a lecture in the hopes that the employee needing redirection realizes that the message is intended for him/her. The reality is majority of the time the employee misses the boat, thinking the message applies to someone else and the cycle of misbehavior and poor performance continues.
You may be thinking, “How does she know this?” Well, as a telecommunicator who was promoted to communications manager with no succession plan, no leadership development, or guidance I was guilty of making this mistake and getting no results.
One of the biggest challenges most new managers or leaders will face is how to initiate a difficult conversation. I can remember early on in my management career the emotions that came up for me. The nervousness, the nausea, and the monkey-mind of ping pong in my head of what I would say versus what I thought the employee would say, which caused me to avoid the conversation all together. The only way I could see addressing poor performers was to call a staff meeting and express globally the issue in the hopes that the one needing the redirection got the message.
If you are using staff meetings to globally discipline an employee, stop judging yourself and take note of these tips to help you gain confidence in calling an employee meeting and getting results.
Know your intention
What is your end result? What are you wanting to accomplish? What observable behavior or action are you wanting to change or improve?
Set the expectations
When you have your meeting, set the expectations upfront of the vision you want to create. Share the observable behavior, not your opinion. (Speak from facts not feelings).
State the island (goal)
The employee needs to know what they are aiming for and what resources or aid you will provide to help them succeed. Ask for what you want versus what you don’t.
State the consequence
If the employee is not able to meet the goal in a reasonable amount of time, state what the consequence(s) will be. State again the support that you are able to provide and have them state what they may need to move forward.
Schedule a check-in or follow-up meeting
Employees need to be held accountable and have closure. They need to know if they are measuring up to your expectations.
Leadership skills in public safety is often not thought of as a necessity or a priority, however it truly should be seen as a valuable part of any training budget. Practice also makes perfect. The more you engage in one-on-one meetings using these steps the more you will lead from direction than fear.
This article originally appeared on my blog at www.stop911drama.com.