Reining in Rule Breakers: Becoming a Great Leader #3
There is a little rebel in all of us. The question is when an employee breaks the rules what should you do about it?
It is an important question. The decision can have an impact not only on the employee but the whole department in which he works.
Every manager should make it a habit to periodically review company behavior and conduct guidelines.
Here are a few of the problem areas you may encounter.
- The staff is often under the assumption that the rules do not apply to them.
- The staff may become verbally or physically abusive when they are reminded of the rules.
- Staff members who have not been held accountable for company rules may not initially comply when the rules are suddenly enforced.
Here are some suggestions.
- Rules pertaining to safety issues should be posted in prominent locations throughout your building.
- Take time at the beginning of each business quarter (more often individually if necessary) to go over each rule. Go over expectations and consequences. Encourage the staff to question any directions, explanations, or instructions he or she does not understand.
- Be prepared to reiterate the rules as often as necessary
- Reinforce and recognize staff that follow the rules.
- Communicate with the shop steward (if applicable) to make sure they are aware you are enforcing the rules.
- Structure the schedule so that staff members must comply with the rules in order to operate successfully.
- Provide the staff member with recognition for improvement.
- Make sure the rules are realistic and applicable.
- Require the staff to identify areas of difficulty and make a plan for improvement.
- Increase the level of direct supervision.
Previous posts in the series:
Reg Adkins writes on behavior and the human experience at (elementaltruths.blogspot.com).
Tags: 
Loading ...
Comments
Aviviana Gabriella says on September 23rd, 2006 at 11:52 am
This “leadership” on “rules” post is okay–as far as it goes–which isn’t very far. I opened it, hoping to find something about the more subtle “rules,” often unspoken or inarticulate, that many supervisors and managers impose on their assistants. When these inscrutable “rules” aren’t followed to the letter–a precision that’s impossible without concision–then the assistant is “zapped” with accusations of one flaw or another. If this happens more than once, or if the assistant earnestly promises to “do better next time,” even if “doing better” has never really been spelled out by the manager, the worker becomes a scapegoat for supervisory ineptness. Or, the worker becomes demonized, made into a pariah, or otherwise marginalized and shuffled off into the “outcasts” corner, or the “difficult-to-work-with” hovel. I think that it’s absolutely essential for management to be clear about rules–even when these rules apply to tasks and projects rather than safety or ethics. Inevitably, all but the simplest task or project meets up with the unexpected contingency that demands the “underling” to “think for themselves,” to “make a judgment call,” no matter how small. Why should this “underling” then be smashed out of the park into left field when the manager never set parameters or defined clear boundaries? Perhaps one of your future posts will address this unfortunate management/assistant dynamic?
RegAdkins says on September 23rd, 2006 at 12:01 pm
This series is about the process of becoming a great leader. It is not about blame or punishment. It is about growing a great team.It wouldn’t be the place to look for secret “Gotcha” techniques.
Gail says on September 23rd, 2006 at 3:10 pm
It’s important that the manager implementing these rules has their own strict guidelines in carrying these out. Otherwise, this could be a recipe for a miserable micromanaging situation – miserable of course, for the staff.
On the other hand, no one should have to baby sit their staff. If they do, then they need a new staff.
Krissa says on September 26th, 2006 at 11:35 am
There’s another reason workers violate rules – they don’t think they are valid or legitimate, or they think they have a better way.
This is the reason I bump into the most w/my team.