Workplace Calisthenics: Managers may encourage behavior they hate

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They make us curse until the wallpaper curls. Their antics require that all management meetings begin with Rolaids and prayer. In their wake, they often leave vast numbers of whining adults who are flirting with a solution that includes acts of physical violence.|ret||ret||tab|

"They" are the almost-human beings at work who are so dysfunctional that you want to scream, "Get a life and a job somewhere else!"|ret||ret||tab|

And, here is the scary part you probably are regularly "rewarding" the unacceptable behavior and attitudes of these workplace trolls.|ret||ret||tab|

My working assumption about our humanity is, "we do not repeat behavior unless it is rewarded." |ret||ret||tab|

Even the really yucky stuff in life (playing golf when you cannot break 90 on nine holes, giving birth to teenagers and choosing for a pet a cat whose greatest gift to humanity is a hair ball), we keep going back for more because we get some reward. The payoff, we assume, may be an eagle at Millwood, an adolescent who actually talks at dinner or a feline who responds to "come."|ret||ret||tab|

I am thoroughly convinced that much of the disgusting behavior we see from coworkers and employees is behavior which is being rewarded. |ret||ret||tab|

This is a new concept, especially for people in leadership. Management normally assumes, after a particularly difficult day of trying to herd Darrell, Darrell and Darrell into productivity, that it must be paying for past sins.|ret||ret||tab|

Take a moment to look at the following people and decide if you and/or your organization are actually rewarding these attitudes or behaviors.|ret||ret||tab|

Let's start with "there-is-nothing-right-about-this-place" employees. The negativity just oozes out of each pore as soon as they hit the front door. The reward for these people is your attention.|ret||ret||tab|

Negative people get hyped when they see how everyone talks about their negativity. If you have 95 out of 100 employees who are well-adjusted and enjoy coming to work, guess who is getting your time and attention? You got it, the other five.|ret||ret||tab|

Moving right along. |ret||ret||tab|

"I'm-keeping-my-mouth-shut-and-my-head-down" employees. These people have decided to give you and your organization just the bare minimum until they can slip into the nirvana of retirement. |ret||ret||tab|

These folks have learned to play this game well; they will never be bad enough to fire but never good enough to congratulate.|ret||ret||tab|

This behavior is rewarded every time a George C. Patton-wannabe manager impatiently blurts out to a risk-taker or assertive communicator, "It is obvious you are not a team player," "We don't do it that way here" or "You are being paid to work, not think."|ret||ret||tab|

Those statements are guaranteed to freeze-dry the initiative of the heartiest employee. Why would we be surprised that employees will choose to be silent in a repressive workplace?|ret||ret||tab|

Finally, what about those "I-guess-you-really-do-not-need-someone-like-me-with-all-my-faults" folks?|ret||ret||tab|

I love these people because of their ingenuity in designing a workplace where they get a back-handed compliment by being obnoxious. What are you going to say, "Hey, you know what, you are right broccoli has a higher IQ than you!" I don't think so.|ret||ret||tab|

No, many managers will reward this behavior by saying, "Oh, come on, you know you are a wonderful asset (notice the spelling of that last word) in our workplace. We cannot function without you."|ret||ret||tab|

It is a cheap reward, but the pathetic people salivate over a pathetic compliment.|ret||ret||tab|

Look around. Take a minute identify the behavior and/or attitude that is pulling your chain and then ask yourself, "Am I rewarding what I hate?" |ret||ret||tab|

It is Psychology 101 cut out the reward and you will extinguish the behavior.|ret||ret||tab|

(Dr. Cal LeMon solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. His company, The Ex-ecutive Edge, can be contacted via the Business Journal at sbj@sbj.net.)[[In-content Ad]]