Attitude as important as competence in workplace

These employees do not just make life miserable they can hold you hostage!

There are four kinds of employees gli-ding around (or lurking) in your workplace today.

First, there are the people who honestly believe coming to work is like swallowing a sunrise and they are really good at their jobs. These employees are a miraculous combination of Shirley Tem-ple, Marcus Welby, MD, Caroline (from "Little House on the Prairie") and Gandhi.

Only divinity has eluded them.

Second, there are employees whom everyone loves but ... they either do not have the mental octane to do the job or are as lazy as a Missouri coon hound on a July afternoon. You have to believe these folks are jerking us around with their David Letterman "Golly gee whiz, I can't believe you folks think I'm this funny and nice," just to pick up a paycheck.

Third, there are the staff who make it a spiritual calling to get everyone to hate the workplace and don't have the foggiest idea of what they are doing. These people don't know synergy from Shineola. Termination is just too kind a fate for these malcontents. Something more violent seems appropriate.

And then there are the hostage-takers!

These people force you to keep them on the payroll because they are so smart. They know more than anyone else about a particular part of your business.

Taking this expertise to the bank, they dare you just dare you to get in their face about their biological-waste-eating attitude. With no attempt at being subtle, these staff will issue small, quiet, but devastating threats if anyone makes demands of them.

And you know what? These people often "win."

When morale in a workplace is on the skids, there usually is one or two people who are the "carriers." Their negative attitudes and caustic remarks are actually quoted by coworkers when they are not even in the room. They are the poster children of gutsy resistance to the "system."

And people love to hate them. There is a sick pride that "ol' so-and-so makes them sit up and take notice." The hostage-takers have what the rest of the workplace craves power.

So, if you are in leadership, how do you deal with these problem employees?

Well, first you have to look in the mirror and repeat at least ten times each morning, "everyone is expendable." If you don't believe that, get ready for some staff person to scream, "Back off or you can kiss this computer printout good-bye."

Second, you have to let the hostage-taker know "attitude" is just as important as "competence." The conversation may sound something like this, "You are a very smart, knowledgeable person who knows how to the get the job done around here. I value your contribution to our success. But your ability has to be tied to a positive attitude. I often sense you are unhappy working here. Tell me, am I right or wrong? Let's talk about this."

That honest intervention takes all the smoke-and-mirrors out of your working relationship with this person. If you choose never to have this conversation, your silence will be a stamp of approval for the passive-aggressive games to continue.

Finally, make "attitude" part of your annual performance review. Too subjective? Yes, defining an attitude is subjective, but people produce quality, not machines or spreadsheets.

The bottom line to dealing effectively with hostage-takers is the bottom line. Attitudes translate into dollars. When a workplace gets infected with a very competent employee who dares leadership to confront him/her, the rest of the watching staff gets their tickets punched to ride the same terrorist train.

Hostage-takers will cost you more than a headache.

(Dr. Cal LeMon solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. His company, Execu-tive Enrichment Inc., can be contac-ted via the Business Journal at sbj@sbj.net.)