Innovative Leadership?

Consultant: How many employees and managers in this department are truly bad? By that I mean how many have terrible attitudes and overall performance that is below standards?

Executive: Out of 20 managers, I'd say two are close to that. Out of 200 employees, there are probably seven who would fit that description.

Consultant: Do you know who they are?

Executive: Oh, sure. I can name them.

Consultant: Then why are they still here?

Executive: Well, it's hard to fire people nowadays. The lawyers get involved and the folks at the top are afraid of getting sued.

Consultant: But upper management probably doesn't feel the full effect of their problem behavior. The people in the field must see it every day.

Executive: That's true. The questionable managers sort of kiss up and kick down. Even with that though, they can be pretty unpleasant. If they're jerks with me, I can imagine what they're like with the employees.

Consultant: Have you tried to fire any of them?

Executive: No, but we've heard stories from other departments and then you read things in the newspapers. It seems easier just to put up with them until they decide to jump ship or do something so stupid that they force our hand. We have thought of just assigning all of them to a remote location.

Consultant: So you'd create a turkey farm.

Executive: Well, of course we wouldn't call it that. It'd get some bureaucratic name. But the good news is they'd be away from everyone else.

Consultant: Do you think that's a good move?

Executive: No. I realize we should either correct them or fire them but a turkey farm is certainly better than nothing. Do you think we'd get an award for innovative and creative management?

Consultant: I'm afraid that one's already been done.

Don't Expect Fairness

Scenario One. Management has known for some time that the employee is incompetent or insufferable but has done nothing about it until now. A new and diligent supervisor may have decided to push for termination or the employee's infractions may have crossed some border of tolerance. Whatever the reason, the powers that be now want the employee's head on a pike. Unfortunately, the employee has a file filed with Meets Standards performance evaluations. Afraid that some plaintiff attorney will make this weasel out to be a victim and a credulous jury will agree, management winds up paying for a sizable severance package.

Scenario Two. The employee has been a good performer but the job has changed. Despite additional training and time, she is not able to pick up the pace. No other vacancies are available. Management will fire a very popular and genuinely decent person.

Scenario Three. The employee is a dangerous loon but management pretends otherwise because no one wants to be in the same room when Charles Manson gets the bad news. They'll keep transferring him from department to department in the hope that one day he'll win the lottery and go off to start a cult in the hills of Nevada. The latter never happens and the employee stays long enough to retire. Some terrified co-workers throw a farewell party for him in the break room.

Scenario Four. The employee is inept but charming and so is promoted. Once hired into a field in which a year or two must pass before incompetence can be clearly established, his career is off to the races. Promotions follows rapidly. Years later, management interns will ponder the amiable but empty suit seated at the boardroom table and wonder, "How on earth did that happen?"

Out of the above scenarios, note which person got the axe without a dime.