Why do Business Owners leave the tough conversations “Til Tomorrow”?

Contributing Author: Carol Marzouk | Leadership 'N' Soul

You love being a business owner until … you arrive in the morning and see him..  again.  He’s angry…again.  Walking into your office…again.  To complain…again. Ugh.  You hoped it would go away, but it just seems to get worse.  He finds something to complain about, some inequity, some sort of reason why he is owed something.  You know you need to address it, but how?  Eh, today you are too busy and maybe he will see the error of his ways and realize how great he has it – on his own – without you doing anything!  You will get to it tomorrow.  But, say it with me, tomorrow never comes.  Suddenly HR has a complaint and possible lawsuit.  How did this happen?!  You were going to deal with it!

What gets in the way of your strategic plan and your business being profitable? Your product, your service, your process, or your people? If you answered “Your People” … DING, DING, DING!! YOU win! Without your people these other elements won’t get you very far.

It starts when we hire.  Do you notice how we always want to see an employee’s education, experience and training before we hire them, which sadly just tells us what they HAVE DONE and nothing about how they have behaved, how kind they were, how many loyal customers they created, how many of their colleagues would want to work with them again, or how quickly they got things done without leaving dead bodies in their wake!

Those dreaded “soft skills” that we wait until tomorrow to address become our “culture”, whether it be a culture by default or by design.  “Culture”…That sadly overused and frankly, nebulous term that most people can’t exactly describe is what determines if you have an engaged workforce or a whole bunch of unhappy, virus spreaders sneezing gossip all over the faces of innocent colleagues who will find themselves slowly being programmed to also become unhappy virus spreaders and eventually, if you have enough of them flying under the radar, as we often do, you will see your numbers change, and not in a good way.  Maybe that’s why if you introduce even ONE toxic employee into a group of twenty productive employees, those 20 are 54% more likely to leave you. (Gallup State of the Employee)

What do you think the percentage of disengaged folks are in the workforce right now? In this quick video I talk about the surprising %: https://youtu.be/Js5zHWA1hIU

If this speaks to you, it’s time to have those conversations.  Tomorrow has come.  Let’s not allow anyone to take down our company sneeze by sneeze!  It’s not as difficult as you think it is.  If you have earned the right to lead, they will go to bat for you and they are waiting for you to help them become a better version of themselves.  They are waiting for someone to mentor them, to inspire them.  Nobody wants to suck.  It is possible to create a no-gossip sneezing culture with engaged employees, loyal customers and consistently increased profits!

Waiting ‘til tomorrow may lead to the wrong behaviors which may lead to disengagement and toxicity – a deadly virus running through your company’s life blood!

Some ways to vaccinate against the disengagement and toxic virus that creeps up on your workforce:  Train your managers to answer the following questions.

Do your people:

• Work together collaboratively?
• Communicate openly and honestly without fear of repercussion?
• Have a positive mental attitude?
• Have compassion, respect and understanding for others?
• Commit to excellence in everything they do?
• Take responsibility for their actions and decisions?
• Have, dare I say it, fun?
• Do more than the minimum that’s required?
• Think ahead?
• Listen without interrupting?
• Do what they say they are going to do?
• Offer new ideas without being put down?

Look for ways to recognize and reward the above behaviors … with the right motivation, reward, and appreciation, ANYTHING can be learned!

Consider using a behavioral assessment tool that takes out all bias when hiring and/or to redesign your existing team’s strategy! Your business strategy and goals will dictate what kind of behaviors your team needs.

A final thought: As a leader you are the greatest of servants, your purpose is to eliminate obstacles to and streamline your staff’s path to success!

How do you do this? … Ask them in a daily huddle, a weekly meeting or monthly meeting what is getting in their way and what you can do to help them!  Easy, Simple and Powerful!

Carol Marzouk

Leadership ‘N’ Soul

Carol Marzouk, the internationally recognized “Executive Lion Tamer®” has spent almost 30 years inspiring leaders and teams to impact their bottom line while retaining their “soul” and integrity.  She is known for using unconventional methods to get real results and helps clients take immediate action, leaving the theory in the office.  She has worked with leaders in a variety of industries including entertainment, construction, high tech, manufacturing, distribution, and food and beverage. Companies ranging in size from 1 million in 4 Billion revenue. She also does a lot of work in the M&A space, securing the people and culture side that usually falls by the wayside as the financials are being discussed. Carol has held several leadership roles and has overseen the work of hundreds of employees.  She has excelled as a speaker, consultant, coach, trainer, and facilitator.