Management Information

Dealing with Marginal Performers: The Therapeutic Approach


--PREPARATION: The purpose of the therapeutic approach is to spark an employee toward improved performance through counseling. The manager's goal is to help the employee recognize the existence of a problem, accept the need for change, and formulate his or her own program for improvement. The manager should critically assess his or her own attitudes and opinions. It is important to try to eliminate all personal bias and prejudice or at least be aware of any such emotions no matter how little effect they seem to be having. For the most positive results, the manager should be noncritical or at least noncommittal toward the marginal performer. In addition, the interview should be conducted in private, without interruptions, and with adequate time.

--SETTING A COMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE: The employee should be made to feel relaxed and at ease. It is particularly important that no mental anguish is spent in guessing the interview's purpose. It is not necessary for the manager to "build the employee up" with praise about favorable performance but it is desirable that the atmosphere is friendly and constructive.

-- STIMULATING SELF-APPRAISAL: The simplest, most forthright tactic is to explain to the employee that there are problem areas. Elicit self-analysis from employees about their jobs, particularly focusing on those areas where they feel that their performance could be improved. Once employees begin discussing unsatisfactory performance - or at least elaborating on problems they are encountering on the job - the manager can pursue the problem areas. Asking, rather than telling the employee, becomes the key to an effective discussion. Through these questions, the manager keeps the employees on the subject and gets them to suggest ideas on improving performance.

-- STIMULATING SELF-SUGGESTION: Once the employee has begun to make positive suggestions, the manager should encourage exploration of these ideas in detail to determine which ones will be most useful for self-improvement. The manager should interfere as little as possible in the employee's self-evaluation. Offering suggestions to the employee will likely negate the whole process. The employee's defense mechanisms are always lingering in the background, and they may surface the minute the manager begins to press the employee into following a course of action, thereby defeating the purpose of the therapeutic counseling interview.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Boston Globe

Lehman Private-Equity Arm Gains New Investment
Wall Street Journal - 9 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman Said to Weigh Sale of Merchant-Banking Fund to Managers Bloomberg
Lehman deal on private equity close: source Reuters
RTT News - MarketWatch
all 74 news articles


Reuters

Banks Pare Fed Loans After Increase for Year-End Cash
Bloomberg - 12 hours ago
BlackRock Inc., Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Pacific Investment Management Co. and Wellington Management Co. are managing the purchases. ...
US banks rely slightly less on Fed cash Reuters
Fed Mum On Efforts To Prevent Conflicts Of Interest For Investment ... TPMMuckraker
Banks borrow more, investment firms less from Fed The Associated Press
Bloomberg - Reuters
all 104 news articles


Washington Post

Wal-Mart disappoints analysts, Walgreen chops management team
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
(NYSE:WAG) announced plans to offer early retirement and severance programs to some 1000 corporate and field management employees, or 9 percent of those ...
Video: Jan 8: Stocks Boosted by Mortgage Deal AssociatedPress
Wal-Mart Declines After Management Change RTT News
Retailers report dismal December sales Connecticut Post
TMCnet
all 2,377 news articles


Information Builders Partners With Tagetik to Deliver Corporate ...
MSNBC - 6 hours ago
"Customers often require two solutions, an executive dashboard and an operational system to manage their performance management requirements," said Gerald ...


Boston Globe

Walgreen will cut 1000 management jobs in 2009
The Associated Press - 12 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said Thursday it will cut 1000 jobs by mid-year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a ...
US drugstore chain Walgreens to cut 1000 management jobs Economic Times
Walgreen to cut about 1000 corporate and field management jobs RTT News
Walgreens Announces Reduction in Corporate and Field Management ... WELT ONLINE
Crain's Chicago Business - Chicago Tribune
all 282 news articles


Z-Wave Alliance Showcases Brand-New Energy Management, Home ...
MSNBC - 2 hours ago
Alliance member companies will showcase for the first time new, affordable energy management, home security and home control solutions in the Alliance booth ...


Uptown men's shelter will stay open under new management
Chicago Tribune, United States - 2 hours ago
Johnson declined to elaborate on the funding and management changes, but said, "We are very satisfied with the outcome of what has happened. ...


Brookfield Asset Management 2008 Year End Conference Call ...
MSNBC - 18 hours ago
You are invited to participate in Brookfield Asset Management's 2008 Year End Conference Call & Webcast on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:00 am (ET) to ...
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP 2008 Year End Conference ... MSNBC
all 2 news articles


Paragon Wealth Management Offers Free Portfolio Reviews
MSNBC - 18 hours ago
PROVO, UT - Paragon Wealth Management is offering free portfolio reviews to investors to help them know where to allocate their portfolios in 2009. ...


BBC News

Gary Berntsen Thinks CIA Needs 'Leadership Not Management'
FOXNews - Jan 7, 2009
CIA COVERT OFFICER : Actually, we need leadership, not management at CIA. That person who's going to be in charge of CIA is in charge of our fight, ...
Video: Analyst Weighs in on Obama's CIA Pick AssociatedPress
Obama's intel picks short on direct experience The Associated Press
Obama Is Under Fire Over Panetta Selection Washington Post
GovExec.com - Foreign Policy (subscription)
all 2,600 news articles

management - Google News

Article List | Index | Site Map
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.