A constant no sayer among your employee can be frustrating and draining for everyone. There are three tips in managing this negativity trends. That is, checking your own behaviour, being specific with examples, and discussing the impact on other people—to get this pessimistic person to commit to changing his behaviour.
Have you ever managed a really negative person? The ‘no sayer’, the employee who shoots down every idea, the one who pushes back on everything asked of him or her? This kind of behaviour is more than annoying; it's obstructive and draining.
Managers at all level are saddle with the responsibilities of managing this kind of people. Some people posses an innate pessimism. Their tendency is to question and criticize rather than adopting ‘a can do attitude’.
If you are a manager and this sounds familiar, here's how to create shift in behaviour.
You first need to evaluate your own conduct. If you decide that a team member is too negative at work, always saying no through his or her words and mannerisms, take a look at the environment he or she is operating in. Are you exhibiting some of the same uncooperative behaviours? Do you only provide constructive criticism rather than balancing it with praise? If you're not guilty of being a poor role model, have you been enabling his or her behaviour simply because you are ignoring it?
You will need several examples, over a period of time, to provide to the employee. Your illustrations need to speak to a pattern. To convince someone that change is necessary, you must build a case and speak to why his or her actions and body language aren't appropriate. You may also wish to solicit feedback from peers and customers.
When meeting with this employee, focus on the impact his or her behaviour has on other people in the organisation. Describe what happens when he or she sighs heavily during meetings. How do others react when he or she says, No, that's not possible. It is just not going to happen - to every request? When giving feedback, say something like, John, I have observed that during brainstorming meetings, you roll your eyes and shake your head when someone brings up a new idea. Most people, when they see that, they stop talking. It cuts them off. The purpose of brainstorming is just the opposite.
After coaching an employee, giving examples, and allowing for discussion, it's time to ask for a commitment. It is important to express to the employee that you need his or her cooperation. The business, the team, and customers need it. You are not asking him or her to change who he or she is. Instead you are asking him/her to adapt how he/she interacts with others in the workplace-in order to help everyone succeed.
Your leadership style in this regard is very important to set a pace for others to follow. This means, you must lead by example. Do the right thing at the right time to encourage your team members and improve their level of interaction with one another.
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