Having tough discussions with your employees will always be one of the most important and most daunting tasks you will face as a manager.  There are circumstances where “avoidance” will simply encourage bad behaviour and erase good behaviour. 

I       Common Managerial and Supervisory Discussions

• Mediating Disputes Among Subordinates
• Inheriting an Employee with Disciplinary Problems
• Stopping Attitude Problems in Their Tracks
• The 2-Minute Challenge
• Coping With Criticism from Subordinates

II      Poor Work Habits and Job Performance Concerns

• Lack of Quality, Detail, Efficiency, Quantity, Speed
• Substandard Customer Satisfaction
• Failure to Learn or Use Material from Training
• Acts Resulting in a Loss to the Employer
• Failure to Follow Through, or “Dropping the Ball”
• Excessive Personal Phone Calls; Internet Usage
• Absenteeism and Tardiness

o   “No Fault” System

o   “Excuse” Based

o   Patterning Around Weekends and Holidays

o   Exempt Employees who come and go as they please

• Lack of Requisite Skills

 III    Inappropriate Workplace Behaviour and Conduct

• E-mail Misuse
• Bullying, Shouting, Arguments, Language
• Hostile Environment

 IV     Substandard Communication Skills

• Gossipmongers, Snitches, and Tattletales
• Whiners and Complainers
• Requests for Confidential Conversations from Other Supervisors’ Subordinates
• Poor Listening Skills
• Failure to Communicate Upward (especially “bad news”)
• Poor Preparation and/or Participation in Team Meetings

 V      Leadership Style Challenges and Career Management Obstacles

• Stalled Career Syndrome
• Unwillingness to Confront Problems Head-On
• Staff Motivation Conversations
• Inability to Provide Constructive Criticism
• Inability to Receive Constructive Criticism
• Lack of Leadership
• Lack of Planning, Scheduling, and Prevention
• Poor Time Management Practices (focus on priorities)
• Perfect Phrases for Delegation
• Situation Leadership – Ken Blanchard

 VI     Corporate Actions

• Probationary Termination
• Administering Disciplinary Warnings
• Progressive Discipline
• Termination for Cause (in conjunction with progressive discipline)
• Encouraging Voluntary Resignation When There are No Progressive Warnings on File
• Negotiating a Separation Package When There Are No Progressive Warnings on File

VII    Perfect Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People

• Difficult Co-Workers
• Difficult Bosses
• Difficult Employees
• Difficult Customers
• People Who Don’t Listen
• Argumentative People
• Negative People
• When That Negative, Angry Employee is You
  

VIII   Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding Employees

• Motivating vs. Satisfying
• Herzberg’s 2-Part Theory
• Specific Needs of the New Workforce – Generations at Work
• The Motivated Environment
• Ongoing Positive Feedback
• Motivating the Underachiever
• The Powerhouse Overachiever
• Raising Morale in Tough Times
• Public Recognition and Rewards
• Peer Recognition Programs
• Gifts and Special Occasions

 X   The Rules of Responsible Communication - Review

• Stay Positive
• Be Civil
• Use Candor
• Use Specific Examples and Observations
• Speak Accurately and Honestly
• Maintain the Three Perspectives (Yours, Theirs, and that of a Neutral Party)
• Use the Deane Eldredge Communication Planning Model