The owners of this company had hot tempers when something went wrong or they didn’t like how something was done. They would yell at employees and belittle them in front of others. Unfortunately, some managers adopted that leadership style because they were subjected to it, too.
The owners sold the company and Miriam was promoted to manage it. She had been with the company for years and the new owners, who are not local, found her to be the best for the job. Her demeanor is calm, clear, direct. She listens, seeks to understand, then makes clear what is acceptable going forward.
She has talked numerous times with her direct reports and all the employees about her style, what is important to her and to the success of the company under the new ownership.
Recently, Miriam heard and then saw a manager losing it with an employee in front of others. She called him into her office and was very direct. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. If he doesn’t change his ways and control his anger, she will have no choice but to let him go. What he was spewing was like poison in the company. He promised to work on his reactions and is doing better.
Last month, Miriam had to fire an employee because he broke the company’s safety rules more than once, ignored corrections from his manager, and when Miriam saw him without safety gear again and brought the danger of it to his attention, he dissed her in front of others. He must not have cared about losing his job because she had talked with him before about his unacceptable behaviors.
Unfortunately, the culture in the past was that people could get yelled at, but no one got fired. Miriam has told employees what is vital to the company culture going forward. She has talked about making it a better place to work, which will be better for everyone, and will draw people with good work ethics to want to work there.
Since then, employees have told her they like working for the company more now than in the past because they know what’s expected, their work is appreciated when they do it well, and those who are troublemakers and slackers are no longer there.
It may not be easy to do, but taking this step lets others know you mean what you say. It lets them know what is acceptable, and that – in the short and long run – is better for everyone.
