Dealing with Difficult Management Situations

1. Dealing with Difficult Management Situations Randy Walden, RN, BSN, MS Sterling Medical Case Manager ILARNG July 2013

2. Accreditation Nurse Accreditation Statement PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME®) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. PRIME® designates this activity for 6.0 contact hours. Case Manager Accreditation Statement The Commission for Case Manager Certification designates this educational activity for 6.0 contact hours for certified case managers. NASW AccreditationThis program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval #886602863-2041) for 13 Social Work continuing education contact hours.

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4. Disclosure Information

5. Learning Objectives • Participants will be able to: • Identify types of management conflicts • Describe types of negative personalities • Discuss steps to take in resolving management conflicts

6. Management Conflicts • Why are employees difficult? • Dealing with poor performance (team or individual) • Attempt to improve an organization or project that is perceived to be failing • Correcting a process that is not working • Dealing with staff or resource shortages Goals and Achievements. (2012). Seven Key Tips for Dealing with Difficult Situations. Retrieved March 13, 2012, from Goals and Achievements: http://goalsandachievements.com/leading/7-key-tips-for-dealing-with-difficult-situations/

7. Attitude

8. Steps to Take in Dealing with Difficult Situations • Establish facts • Interview staff and ask questions • Listen actively • Don’t jump to conclusions

9. Steps to Take in Dealing with Difficult Situations • Maintain professionalism • Set a goal so that everyone wins • One size fits all does not work in management (Javitch, 2009)

10. Follow Your Company Policies & Procedures • Every company has set policies and procedures to follow • Progressive discipline is appropriate in most situations • Deal with the behavior—not the person • (Javitch, 2009)

11. Employees are an Investment • Considerable expense involved in recruiting, training and retaining staff • Retraining staff in appropriate behavior is more cost effective • Firing an employee may be the only recourse • (Javitch, 2009)

12. Steps in Handling Difficult Situations • Don’t ignore the problem • Intervene as soon as possible • Investigate the issue personally • Counsel the employee • (Javitch, 2009)

13. Termination is not a bad thing • Termination of a problem employee is like a clearance sale—it makes room for something better!

14. Questions?

15. It’s Not Polite to Point • We all know someone who fits the descriptions of the personalities on the following slides. • Remember…it’s not polite to point at your co-workers.

16. Types of Negative Personalities • Employees all come from different backgrounds and have different goals and sets of issues. There are several separate types of difficult employees. • How a manager deals with them can mean the success or failure of that employee or of the manager. • Managers have bosses too and are being rated based on their success as managers.

17. Negative Personalities • Perfectionists • Negative attitudes • Dictators • (Steele-Pucci, 2011)

18. Everyone is Good at Something

19. Negative Personalities • Never do their fair share • Substance abusers • Grouches • Know-it-Alls

20. The Know it All

21. Negative Personalities • The “Yes” person • The “No” person • The passives • (Career Track, 2011)

22. Become a Better Manager • Dealing with difficult people is only one aspect of management • Dealing with poor performers is like trimming a hedge—it looks good, but it also encourages growth • (Tuutti, 2011)

23. “If you don’t deal with the bottom 10 percent in your organization, the top 10 percent gets frustrated and leaves. People want to be part of a winning team”(Tuutti, 2011, p. 1)

24. Ten percent of your people will be 90 percent of your problems!

25. Not the Best Management Perspective

26. Don’t be a Control Freak

27. Questions?

28. References • Career Track. (2011). Dealing with difficult people: How to communicate with tact and skill. CareerTrack. Kansas City, MO: CPE Sponsors. • Goals and Achievements. (2012). Seven Key Tips for Dealing with Difficult Situations. Retrieved March 13, 2012, from Goals and Achievements: http://goalsandachievements.com/leading/7-key-tips-for-dealing-with-difficult-situations/ • Javitch, D. G. (2009). Five steps to deal with difficult employees. Entrepeneur.

29. References • Sarmiento, T. P., Spence-Laschinger, H. K., & Iwasiw, C. (2003). Nurse educators' workplace empowerment, burnout and job satisfaction: Testing Kanter's theory. Issues and Innovations in Nursing Education , 134-143. • Steele-Pucci, C. (2011, September 26). Nightmare employees: How to deal with difficult personalities. Retrieved March 16, 2012, from Career Intelligence: http://www.career-intelligence.com/management/NightmareEmployees.asp • Tuutti, C. (2011). Expert: Federal managers, deal with problem people. Retrieved March 16, 2012, from Federal Computer Week: http://fcw.com/blogs/management-matters/2011/11/dealing-with-difficult-workers.aspx