Leadership? Just a state of mind. by Luis Gaspar - HTML preview

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Explain and Use Social Influence

Another thing to do is to explain to the person who is behaving inappropriately the damage that they are doing not only to the organization but also to themselves and the team. This is once again the power of 'why'.

If someone is going out for longer cigarette breaks for example, then you should simply explain to them that in doing that, they are forcing their colleagues to pick up their slack. If they value their friendship with those colleagues, then they will not like the thought of this and might reconsider their actions. Likewise, you can explain that it has been noted and that when it comes time for a review, it might hold them back for a promotion.

And again, invite them to make a suggestion. Ask them why they feel the need to spend outside. Ask them what it is they want from this interaction and see if you can come up with an alternative solution. If they feel they can’t stand being in the office, then perhaps you need to change the layout of the office? Again, this is a highly effective method as if they feel they’re being listened to, then they might feel obligated to give a little as well. Better yet, you might be able to successfully remove the problem altogether.

Of course, the temptation here is to make an example of that person and to tell the rest of the team how they're not pulling their weight. This is a mistake because it will a) make that person feel victimized and b) create disharmony in your ranks that will ultimately be bad for business. What you can do though is to praise those who are putting in more hours and make sure that they know that you're aware of the difference between their efforts and those of their lackadaisical colleagues.