It may happen that sometimes you are faced with an employee who stands out, not because of some extraordinary feat, but due to difficulties at work. Every one of your employees may not think alike. Some may have that go-getter attitude of accomplishing everything. Some may have a safe approach towards meeting the targets. On the other hand, there may be one who always plays it hard. It is their pessimism that overtakes their ability to perform well.
Let’s get started on some techniques that can help you get the best from your employee, even if they have a negative functioning style. Before getting started, let’s go on a fact-finding mission. For this, you have to
- Assess the negativity
- Tackle the negativity
- Avert the negativity
Finding the Cause of the Problem
Make things easy with business coaching. We all know where the problem lies, but does everyone know where the actual problem lies? The root cause can be anyone (any co-worker) or anything else. So, it works down to finding the cause of the negativity and addressing it positively.
The other employees may not have the necessary skills, training, and comfort to handle such a situation. The best course is to turn to the person-in-charge. This person may be the CEO, Manager, etc.
As a business owner or manager, to reduce the negativity, consider things like
- Is it the job? Are things getting repetitive? Promotion or new assignment still not coming?
- Is it a colleague? Or is there some infighting within the team?
- Is it you, as a leader? Were you too hard in the past? How do your employees relate to you?
- Or is it some other outside cause?
How to Coach an Employee Who Has a Negative Attitude
It’s essential to coach an employee who has a negative attitude. Pessimism is infectious and can pass on the others. So, address it in different ways to boost team morale. To change the work culture, tips like the following help
1. Communication
The best way is to start a dialogue. Let your employee open up about the things that lead to the negativity. In this conversation, let your employee do most of the talking. All you have to do is bait them with a catchy word. Please sit back and listen to what all they have to say. It is the best way to let things go in the right direction.
When your employees speak up, they let you know about what’s bothering them. Their admission can be the key to the solution. Hear them out.
2. Come To the Point
After the negative employee opens up, let them know how their behavior is affecting the team morale. Besides, it is also creating an adverse effect on the employee’s role and contribution in question.
Let them know how they would feel with similar behavior put up by their co-workers. If they change, it will do loads of good.
3. The Purpose
Let your employee the reasons behind their hiring. It is their perspective that made them work here. Remind them about the hours they spend working and how to make it more fruitful.
4. A Composure
Being snappy means you signal your employee to shut up. Let communication remain open. Having a two-sided conversation is always fruitful. You can put things differently to sound subtle even if your words pack aggression.
5. Positive Outcomes
Let your employee know if the dialogue was productive enough and carries the results you wanted to achieve. Also, let them have the assurances that they are free to come back anytime they want to with any issues that need an address.
6. Set a Plan
Being a coach with a leadership role implies that you set up behavioral standards. Let them know how you handle different and challenging situations with signature ease—stress upon how a positive attitude is instrumental in bringing a healthy change.
Punit