“Hell is other people” – Jean-Paul Sarte
Managing a team and dealing with the issues some of its members cause can be challenging. Here, Regional Support Manager, Joanne Phillpot, a former practice manager herself, suggests five ways to tackle staff who are causing you a headache.
It’s obvious that teams are made up of individuals. Everyone has their own quirks and foibles but it’s eminently possible for everyone to get along. Where it becomes difficult is when someone rocks the boat by not doing what they should.
For example, you may have a team member who is brilliant with the patients and popular with her colleagues. However, recently she’s been arriving late at work. This is unusual for her, but it’s been affecting the rest of the team. They’re becoming resentful of having to set up her surgery for her as well as getting their own ready. It’s placing an unwanted burden on them, and they don’t like it.
On the occasions when she’s been late it’s also caused you a lot of stress as you’ve been worried about how to get cover for her. In circumstances like this, because she is usually such a solid worker it’s tempting to just carry on and hope it gets better and that the passive aggressive comments being made by the other team members will jolt her into sorting herself out and returning to her old self.
However, that is just avoiding the issue and solves nothing. These circumstances, and variations on them, are not uncommon in practices. However, when this type of situation arises, doing nothing and hoping things sort themselves out is not an option.
Here are some suggestions as to how to handle things
1) Don’t leave things to fester
This sort of situation needs nipping in the bud. This is not a case where ‘least said, soonest mended applies’! If something’s wrong, you need to speak up. Hoping your team member will magically work out something is wrong is unrealistic. As a manager, you have a responsibility to set clear expectations and support your team in meeting them. Avoiding the conversation because you’re worried about upsetting someone or disrupting the team vibe only prolongs the problem. Managers who tackle issues early, fairly, and with a supportive attitude create stronger teams and achieve better results.
2) Keep things focused and fair
When you do address the issue, stick to a simple three-step approach. This keeps emotions out of the conversation and helps your team member feel less defensive. During the conversation:
Step 1: Be specific about the problem. Skirting around things and giving vague feedback leads to misunderstandings. For example:
“I’ve noticed you’ve arrived 15 minutes late three times in the last three weeks.” This gets straight to the point and makes it clear what you need to tackle.
Step 2: Explain the impact of the behaviour. Let them know how, in this case their lateness, affects the rest of the team. This shows why the behaviour matters:
“That’s causing a problem for the rest of the team as they have to scramble to cover for you.”
Or:
“It causes me a lot of stress because I’m worried about arranging cover, and that affects patient care.”
Step 3: Ask a question to start problem-solving. Try to find out what’s at the bottom of this so you can consider ways to put things right. Try not to assume anything. There may be things going on in your nurse’s home life that will need your support. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Try asking:
“What’s causing this at the moment?”
Or:
“What can we do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”
3) Ask questions, don’t make demands
Once you’ve established the cause, telling someone what to do might feel as if it will provide a quicker solution, but it rarely works. People don’t like to feel cornered. By issuing an order you’ll often get a polite “yes” when really, they’re thinking “not a chance.” Instead, ask open questions that help the person think through the issue so that they own the solution themself. They’re far more likely to follow through and stick with it. Asking the right questions can be more powerful than offering your own solution.
Here are some suggested questions to help facilitate things:
- What happened there?
- Did you notice that had happened?
- Why do you think that happened?
- What can we do to sort this out?
- How can you give me confidence this won’t happen again?
- What help, if any, do you need to sort this out?
4) Stay outcome-focused
There is nothing to be gained by playing the blame game or trying to make someone feel guilty, as it achieves nothing. Keep the conversation focused on what needs to change and how you’re going to get there. If the discussion starts to drift into unrelated matters, gently steer it back to the main goal: solving the problem and getting things back on track.
5) Make feedback a habit
The best leaders don’t wait for small problems to become big ones. They give constructive feedback regularly, often several times a day, and no one feels attacked or ‘got at’ because the tone of the conversation is helpful and respectful. Habits take time to change, so don’t be surprised if you need to repeat feedback several times before you see results. Consistent, calm conversations serve to build trust, improve performance, and create stronger, well-bonded teams. Helping your team to work well together by tackling problems early and giving frequent, respectful feedback is what great leadership is all about.
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