Kathrein Lammert is a lawyer and has many years of management experience, including in the public sector and in medium-sized manufacturing companies. Today she works as a coach, trainer and consultant in Berlin in the field of executive and personnel development.
Kathrein Lammert works as a management trainer in Berlin.
(Photo: private)
SZ: Ms. Lammert, when is an employee difficult?
Kathrein Lammert: There are no difficult people. Behavioral patterns and how colleagues or superiors deal with them are usually difficult. What is uncomfortable for one person may not bother the other at all. But of course there are behaviors that are fundamentally difficult and people that are difficult to get along with. This is always the case when someone, for example, deliberately fails to comply with processes, blocks them or keeps nagging. It is a different matter if the employee does too little, for example because he is overwhelmed. The key question for me is: does he have a chance to behave differently?
What are the causes of difficult behavior?
Everything shapes us – our private and professional environment. For example, many managers ask themselves: How do I keep older employees motivated? But they don’t question when he was last praised, what motivates him, or why he’s so slow. It is important not to just stay on the factual level. We all only change when we want to, when we are addressed on the relationship level. Or when what we do is disadvantageous. If employees do not want to change their behavior, it is – perhaps – also because they are unable to do so, for example because they lack knowledge. The company can then take appropriate measures.
So, with the right measures, will the problem be solved?
Yes, mostly. However, many measures are not sustainable. Why should someone change if there are no consequences or controls? Employees have to notice that the boss is paying attention to them – in a positive sense, but also through controls. Difficult employees want to be seen. When they feel this, they often change their behavior.
Can correct leadership turn difficult employees back into socially acceptable and productive ones?
This can be done through discussions and consistency. As a supervisor, I have to be very clear about mistakes, but at the same time be appreciative and interested in people. And discuss solutions. Address the behavior, not judge the person. It is important to ask about the causes, to formulate them specifically and to give examples: “It is important to me to see you in the meeting on time.” ‘If that does not help, the consequences must not only be threatened, but implemented. But the vast majority of companies are inconsistent. They drag difficult employees through or park them where they are least disturbing.
What are the possible consequences – apart from a termination?
It is possible to keep the employee on a “short leash”. Calling briefly every morning and discussing what was good and what should be changed. Or to meet twice a week to sift through documents before submitting them. There are many opportunities. That costs time and nerves, but it’s part of the manager’s job. The question is what can both of them do together to make the fit and find a solution for the future. If the employee is basically able to change his behavior, it is his own decision to go along with it. If he doesn’t, he has to go to a place where he does less harm. This is an extreme challenge for many companies. Unfortunately there will always be black sheep and not every conflict can be resolved.
Many suffer from difficult colleagues. What can you do there?
Everything that has been said also applies to dealing with colleagues. Only here the discussions have to be conducted more cautiously, rather be feedback than announcements. Criticism always has to come out of one’s own role and not because my nose doesn’t fit. Unfortunately, this is often mixed up. Whether manager or colleague – it is important to work on your inner attitude and to say to yourself: I want to achieve a good goal with this difficult person, I remain friendly and consistent. After all, it would be good to see the conflict as an opportunity to clear things up and not let it get too close, because there will always be conflicts in the job.