As a lead or manager you will come across different kinds of staff out of which a few will be very difficult to manage. Every manager faces such team members at least once in their career. Hence, here are several tips to deal with them efficiently and increase your productivity.
Try to understand them
This should be your first task. Try to evaluate why the person is so difficult to manage. Is it because they are using it as a weapon to grow because their difficult nature has been a real great help for them in past, or is it something which is by birth? If the first condition is true in your case, then no need to panic. You just need to act as a boss who is in control. Once when they observe that their tantrums are no more working with you, they will end up going for a change. The actual difficulty is when the individual is born with it. You need to be really careful in such situation. You need to counteract them with your proper suggestions and reactions.
Be properly equipped
A difficult employee can end up your workplaceâs peace and serenity. To manage all this you need to be really alert and well equipped before you react. You should be aware of what is going on in your absence and who is the one behind all the mishaps. A difficult staff can be spreading rumors and behaving oddly. You should be really hard on the individual unless and until you yourself are a part of the problem. Take care of it.
Plan before you act
What is the biggest trait of a good manager? He/she is very good at planning out things and carrying out the implementation. Consider a difficult staff as one of the issues that your project might face and deal the person in the same way. Observe, get inputs from others, make a plan of how you are going to approach him/her, decide your team to achieve the task and set the day. Be accompanied by someone from HR department from your company before sitting for a conversation with the employee. Do not approach this issue emotionally, rather be practical and fast.
Always be logical
Do not just go by the face value of situation. Be logical in your approach towards it. The employee who is posing difficulty to you might be facing lots of difficulty himself/herself. A leader is not only there to lead his subordinates but also to help them whenever they are facing any difficulties. With your help, your staff can revive and get back on track. After finding out the problem which is bothering him/her, try to deduce a solution for it. You will not only relieve yourself from a difficult staff but also be remembered as a nice and compassionate manager.
Every bad thing should be put to an end
This should be your last resort. If all your tries are being reverted by negative results and you are finally unable to change the attitude of your staff, you are only left with terminating him/her from your service. You can help a person who wants to improve but if all your precious times and the pains that you took to improve the person have given no results, this is the best you can do. Do not feel bad about it! You have others too who look up to you. Just to manage one, you cannot stop managing all.
