I know what it means\u00a0to\u00a0lead a company full of\u00a0high producing\u00a0employees.\u00a0\u00a0You would think this is an\u00a0enviable\u00a0position to be in, and in most\u00a0cases,\u00a0you would be\u00a0absolutely correct.\u00a0 The tension, however,\u00a0comes when\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0these\u00a0high producers, who\u00a0clients love,\u00a0begins\u00a0to act out by disrespecting their subordinates,\u00a0exhibiting\u00a0incivility to their\u00a0peers\u00a0or blatantly flouting the expressed values of\u00a0the\u00a0company.\u00a0If not dealt with,\u00a0this venomous behavior can destabilize even the most stable of companies.<\/p>\n
In talking with\u00a0other\u00a0leaders,\u00a0I find this toxic behavior\u00a0is often shielded\u00a0from CEOs, certainly by the offending parties, but often by their colleagues too, who are fully aware of the high performance of the\u00a0toxic\u00a0parties.\u00a0\u00a0So,\u00a0the negative behavior continues,\u00a0unnoticed\u00a0or ignored,\u00a0and\u00a0unchecked\u00a0by CEOs.<\/p>\n
The message this unbridled\u00a0incivility sends throughout companies\u00a0may or may not be something CEOs\u00a0intend,\u00a0but\u00a0the consequences of their inaction can\u00a0wreak havoc\u00a0on\u00a0the cultures\u00a0of the businesses\u00a0they lead.\u00a0Through lack of\u00a0action, leaders are signaling\u00a0that profits, at all\u00a0costs, are more important than\u00a0values and character.\u00a0There is\u00a0sadness in the knowledge that many, if not most,\u00a0companies\u00a0could\u00a0see naivety in what you have just read.<\/p>\n
But, as leaders,\u00a0we must\u00a0ask ourselves\u00a0the\u00a0hard\u00a0questions, \u201cWhat is the value of\u00a0my\u00a0word?\u00a0Can\u00a0I\u00a0be trusted to do what\u00a0I\u00a0say and say what\u00a0I\u00a0do?\u00a0Do\u00a0I\u00a0keep the promises\u00a0I\u00a0make?\u201d\u00a0After all,\u00a0these are the characteristics of people\u00a0WE\u00a0want to do business with, aren\u2019t they?\u00a0I would suggest it is\u00a0safe to assume nobody likes to be lied to.\u00a0Or perhaps, to\u00a0put it another way,\u00a0I doubt anyone\u00a0likes\u00a0to be on the receiving end of the phrase, \u201cIt\u2019s just business,\u00a0get over it!\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who follow our leadership look to us for answers to these same questions.\u00a0\u00a0When we\u00a0are unaware,\u00a0or\u00a0ignore or tolerate\u00a0the toxic behavior of\u00a0high producers\u00a0in our companies, are we not, in essence, saying to our\u00a0workforce, \u201cIt\u2019s just business, get over it?\u201d\u00a0 The fall-out of\u00a0allowing this breach of trust\u00a0creates an environment of\u00a0preoccupation with\u00a0self-preservation\u00a0rather than\u00a0preoccupation with\u00a0excellence and the ensuing profitability.\u00a0\u00a0This self-preservation very often results in\u00a0good people deciding to leave\u00a0in order to\u00a0find\u00a0a more functional work environment with more\u00a0opportunity\u00a0for advancement.<\/p>\n
But what is likely to happen if leaders decide to\u00a0\u201csay goodbye\u201d to toxic high producers?\u00a0\u00a0Will the wheels come off?\u00a0\u00a0Will customers\u00a0leave?\u00a0Do profits plummet?\u00a0\u00a0Not\u00a0so\u00a0in my experience,\u00a0nor the many other CEOs who\u00a0decide that character counts.\u00a0\u00a0Once\u00a0aware of toxicity in our workforce,\u00a0our\u00a0responsibility\u00a0as leaders\u00a0is to remove it\u00a0and trust in the\u00a0greatness that remains.<\/p>\n
As with many things in life,\u00a0our fear of what\u00a0might\u00a0happen is very often greater than the reality\u00a0of the situation.\u00a0\u00a0Experience\u00a0indicates\u00a0that when a toxic high producer is removed,\u00a0the sigh of relief within the business\u00a0is almost audible.\u00a0\u00a0The sense of justice and fairness that follows inspires\u00a0greatness,\u00a0excellence\u00a0and profitability\u00a0while at the same time\u00a0opening up\u00a0opportunities for those who\u00a0have\u00a0been standing in the wings\u00a0watching the drama.\u00a0CEOs who risk the definitive action\u00a0of removing problem\u00a0people, high producers though they\u00a0may\u00a0be, will be witnesses to a sound we all want to hear, that of a company flourishing.<\/p>\n
CEOs who say goodbye to toxic\u00a0high producers share\u00a0a common experience.\u00a0\u00a0They,\u00a0almost to\u00a0the person, find themselves saying, \u201cI should have done this sooner!\u201d<\/p>\n
Written by Douglas K. Shaw<\/a><\/strong>. I know what it means\u00a0to\u00a0lead a company full of\u00a0high producing\u00a0employees.\u00a0\u00a0You would think this is an\u00a0enviable\u00a0position to be in, and in most\u00a0cases,\u00a0you would be\u00a0absolutely correct.\u00a0 The tension, however,\u00a0comes when\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0these\u00a0high producers, who\u00a0clients love,\u00a0begins\u00a0to act out by disrespecting their subordinates,\u00a0exhibiting\u00a0incivility to their\u00a0peers\u00a0or blatantly flouting the expressed values of\u00a0the\u00a0company.\u00a0If not dealt with,\u00a0this venomous behavior can destabilize even the most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6179,"featured_media":259098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36082],"tags":[36165,36176,36272,36282,36293,36461,37215,37243,37252,37255],"class_list":["post-259099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ceo-forum","tag-chairman-insider","tag-chairman-of-the-board-insider","tag-chairwoman-insider","tag-celebrity-board-director-insider","tag-c-suite-executives-insider","tag-capitalist-insider","tag-centimillionaires-insider","tag-ceo-peer-advisory-insider","tag-ceo-excellence-insider","tag-c-suite-leaders-insider"],"yoast_head":"\n
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