Note to a Negative Team Member

Dear _______,

I've decided to put in writing some thoughts about your performance.

You are pulling down the team. Your consistently negative attitude is a drag on our morale. You claim that you "tell it like it is" but your words go far beyond simple candor. You seem to take pleasure in finding fault and the same sarcasm that you use toward management is just as quickly turned on your co-workers.

Despite your frequently expressed belief that you are one of the best employees, you are one of the worst. You can be strong in some technical areas, but your "people skills" are in desperate need of improvement. You appear to be oblivious to the effect of your words. While you may be upbeat ten minutes after one of your outbursts, your co-workers are either hurting or seething and those feelings are not easily repaired. Your negative conduct has poisoned the work environment. Many people hate coming to work because they know they will have to deal with you. Still others try work on projects around you rather than with you. When you are absent, the entire atmosphere is transformed from tense and apprehensive to enjoyable and productive.

This doesn't mean that you are always unpleasant. You can be charming, cooperative, and even kind but your inconsistency keeps people wondering just which personality they will encounter whenever you walk in the door.

One part of you will want to dismiss this note as the whining of a wimp. I'm hopeful that the better parts of your nature will regard my message as what it truly is: a sincere attempt to help a person who has enormous potential.

We've love to have you as a positive member of our team. Change and we will enthusiastically welcome your transformation.

If you cannot find the willingness and strength to do that, you should leave.

Ignoring Problems

Why do people refuse to acknowledge the existence of certain problems?

They truly may not regard it as a problem. This often occurs when one side is results-oriented [e.g., executives] and the other is process-oriented [e.g., HR professionals and lawyers]. The process freaks hate violations of rules and procedures. The results freaks think such violations aren't that big of a deal if the results were achieved.

They may not want to recognize the problem. Acknowledge a problem and you may be expected to do something about it. That involves extra work. These people may take action if no one else is around to handle matters but if the responsibility can be foisted off on another party, they will back off. In many cases, they may be so afraid of a possible problem that denial is a form of stress-reduction.

They may want to avoid confrontation. Many solutions involve confronting people. That can be unpleasant.

They may honestly believe that addressing the problem is not their responsibility. In many cases, they have crafted a very narrow definition of what falls into their realm.

They may not care. There are people who go through life with a "Whatever" approach. (Pray that they aren't your co-workers or, even worse, your boss.)

They may have been punished for taking action in the past. When people fear to take initiative, expect to see a lot of upward delegation.

They may have insufficient resources to handle the matter. This can be a cop-out or a realistic assessment of priorities.

They may have a skewed or outdated sense of priorities. That's why priorities need to be frequently discussed.

Recipe for Conflict

• Make sure that the lines of authority overlap so people will dispute over turf.




• Refrain from establishing systems and procedures. Use fear of bureaucracy to create anarchy and confusion.




• Impose no penalties if people violate the rules.




• When conflict arises, ascribe it to personalities and not to systems. That way, you can be assured that the disputes will continue.