Many of you have probably heard of the Blue Collar Comedy group. This is a group of four southern comedians (guys), most of whom are pretty darn funny. In fact, one of the comedians is Jeff Foxworthy, host of the Fox TV show, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” (a topic perhaps for another management article).
But, my focus today is a bit called, “Here’s yer sign.” This routine, developed by Blue Collar Comedy Group member Bill Engvall and delivered in a deep, slurred, Southern accent, looks at those situations in life in which you’d have to be thicker than a brick not to understand what’s going on.
Well, as business leaders, we too sometimes find ourselves saying, “Here’s yer sign.”
Here’s your sign…
A here’s your sign moment is that point in time, as a management team, when you finally realize you’re spending a disproportionate amount of time talking about a problem employee. This person may be someone on the team who has an attitude problem, engages in subversive and disruptive behavior or who consistently underperforms. If you have done everything you can to support and develop this person, and nothing is working – and here you are yet again discussing this one person rather than other, pressing business issues – well, here’s your sign.
Many years ago, we had someone on our team whom I referred to as “the pot stirrer.” This person was never happy, almost always subversive, made trouble and was constantly trying to help others see that they really weren’t as happy as they thought they were. As a management team, we spent an inordinate amount of time discussing how to help this person change her attitude and grow with the firm. After our leadership team had engaged in discussions that were both exhaustive and exhausting, it became obvious to us all that the pot stirrer was not a cultural fit for our team. It was time for her to go.
One bad apple can spoil the bunch
A lot of managers feel uncomfortable confronting the reality that an employee must be fired. Some feel that it reflects poorly on them. They think that they should have been able to turn the situation around and help the problem person. Others worry that if they fire a problem employee they are cold and uncaring people. But, the reality is that sometimes even our best efforts won’t change a person or a situation.
As managers, we have to consider the effect that this person’s behavior is having on the group as a whole. While you may feel guilty about the decision to fire an employee who quite possibly has been with the company for some time, it is sometimes the only recourse you have left. One negative person can have a toxic effect on the entire work environment and may drive away those people who are your best assets.
Protect your corporate culture and your team. Make a change. A and B players will not stick around if you allow subversive and disruptive behavior to exist within your work environment.
