I spend so much of my day surrounded by people. In an organization like mine it takes a huge variety of personalities to make the wheels spin and these people come from all walks of life. They are my employees, my suppliers and my customers as well as my nearest and dearest and one thing I do know is that they all behave very differently.
I have had 20 years of observing behaviours and whilst I truly do believe that, as a general population we are dealing less effectively with our challenges, it is more the way we react when they occur that I see as the problem. So here goes with the 10 workplace habits that I so often see... in ineffective people!
1: STRESS
Ineffective people stress. I don’t believe this word should enter anyone’s vocab in the workplace. Stress is self-induced and, in my opinion, can be removed by simply managing time well. FACT: you can only do so much in a day so sort out the stuff that has to happen and leave the rest. Stress comes from an inability to prioritise in a work environment. So 80/20… only 20% of the stuff needs to be done in a day… identify it and leave the 80% for another time.
2: ASSUME
I really hate this word... “Oh... I just assumed.” Really... so why didn't we check or ask so that rather than assume, we actually got it right! I have outlawed it in our work space. To me it simply represents an ineffective person that fails to check before making a decision, or effecting a task.
3: BLAME
Yep, you have heard them. It’s never their fault no matter how high up the organizational chart they are. It is always someone else that is responsible. Every time a team member of mine stuffs up, I look at what I, not they could have done to prevent this. If you manage a team you have an ongoing responsibility. So rather than blaming, look at how you can prevent scenarios re-occurring. Grow people rather than undermine them. Stuff ups happen… just get on and fix them, rather than wasting more time trying to attach blame!
4: GONNA DO’S
These people never get anything finished. They are always gonna get to it. In fact, often when it does finally get to you, you have forgotten you requested it. Their work is often incomplete, always late and never what you really wanted. So when it does arrive it becomes a process of tooing and froing to get the end result. These people often work longer hours than anyone else but are still highly ineffectual. In fact, you spend a lot of time over compensating for them. Invite them anywhere and tell them the event starts one hour earlier than it actually does, give them deadlines that are days/ weeks earlier than you actually needed and good luck !
5: GOSSIPERS
These people waste time, spread information that is often wrong and delight in the failings of others. I hate hearsay. I would much rather hear it from the horse’s mouth and when I do, it is often so very different to the version that is being bandied around. Refuse to listen to this type of talk. It is as its name suggests… gossip and highly likely to be loaded with error!
6: CRYING
What is this about??? Why when dealing with a work place challenge, do people burst into tears? Really... it does take away from what is being addressed. In fact, it distracts and has a tendency to dilute a process that is simply about getting the job done better. Please save the tears for stuff that really matters, focus on what is being addressed, absorb, communicate and then get on with doing the job.
7: CHANGE HATERS
Implement change and these people thwart; taking all those that will listen with them. They never take time to consider what is really happening or have any robust analysis around the processes. They fear change for change’s sake and become catalysts of objection in the work place. They baulk and divide teams just because they can. Great leaders embrace change. They are always looking for how we can do things better, rather than simply adhering to what was done before.
8: SELF ADVOCATES
It’s all abut me… never the about the team… I am the success story in this environment… it’s never about growing others which often results in a high churn in the team they lead. They invite very little input from others as they always know best. In fact, input is often not welcome or taken and quickly disregarded and if it is eventually implemented, it is seen as a personal infringement on their capabilities.
9: NON COMMUNICATORS
They expect their peers to be clairvoyants. They never talk to challenges, never discuss their visions and therefore are constantly delivering negative surprises in the work environment.
10: THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
These people are never happy. They will always tell you about someone who is earning more, what they have done in the past, what their life used to be, what they could have been or what they are missing out on. You can never win! These people always feel that they are perpetually leaving. They never seem settled or happy and often create unrest in a team. I am often just left waiting and wondering where or when it will all end!
My suggestion to you is never be these people. If you recognize some of the traits in yourself, work hard to change them. Become a polar opposite to what is listed above and you will become one of the highly EFFECTIVE people.
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