Help Your Employees Get Through Failure
By Gail Kasper, Author and Mentor of the Top 1% Club http://www.gailkasper.com
I am sure many of you, like me, have had to lend a supportive ear to an employee or associate. If you’re a manager, business owner or boss, you’re well aware that not every employee is a star performer. Some members of your team might struggle more than others. They may experience a greater incidence of failure. But even your best-performing employees will run into failure from time to time. That’s because where risk and success are involved; failure is part of the territory. As the boss or head of the team, you can take steps to help all of your employees – those who struggle and those who shine – get through failure and get back on track. First, review the steps of my Systematic Attitude Development-Technique™ (SAD-T™), a proven program for achieving extraordi-normal results. Then do the following:
1. Set up a meeting. Don’t let your employee languish in his or her misery and defeat. Saying nothing will only magnify your employee’s feelings of failure. Set up a meeting in your office to talk to your employee and help put things into perspective. Keep this a one-to-one, face-to-face meeting. Don’t bring others in, as this might prove intimidating.
2. Keep it logical. Be sure to keep your comments fair, kind and balanced. This is not the time to make your employee feel worse by bringing judgments and emotions into the conversation. Instead, talk about what’s working well, what needs improvement, and where to go from here. Point out the fact that all great successes are preceded by failures. It’s simply part of the learning curve. Without failure first, there is no ultimate success.
3. Define an action plan. The best way to defeat failure is to put a plan for success into action. What steps can your employee take to improve his or her performance? How can you help your employee do a better job? Would the employee benefit from taking classes, attending a seminar, reading a book, or working with a mentor? Together, you and your employee can develop an action plan designed to make them a winner.
4. Follow up. Every week, follow up with the employee to see how they’re doing. During these follow-ups, be sure to build your employee up by praising both effort and success. Modify the action plan as needed to maximize its effectiveness. Remain positive and optimistic, a source of encouragement. Once your employee is back on track, you won’t need to check back weekly, but do follow up from time to time. By staying in the loop, you’ll help resolve issues before they escalate, and your employee will know that they can count on your support, come what may.
As the Top 1% Club Mentor, I invite you to be our guest http://www.top1percentclub.com and receive a list of 50 Ways To Fix Communication Mistakes: Essential Keys To Improve How You Communicate With Others.
