It's You or Them but Somebody Needs to Fix It

If you’ve ever had an issue getting rockstar results from the people you hire or partner with, you’re not alone. They show up late, miss deadlines, fall off the grid with no communication and do subpar work. Even some of the decent team players have their moments where they fall down on the job with no great excuse. It’s happened to me too. I get an endless flow of questions from clients about what to do when someone else’s shortcomings impact their business. • Do I need to have a meeting and lay down the law? • Do I need to fire them? • Should I ignore their behavior and hope for the best? • Maybe I should just intend that they improve? • What should I say to them if I were the best leader possible? And the BEST question of all is, “How do I know if it’s my vibration that’s causing the breakdown or it’s the team member’s issue?” The very best place to start focusing your energy to improve any situation with your team is on yourself. Even if a person has a habit of doing the same stupid thing over and over and it’s obvious to everyone that this particular person needs a wake up call, you are the one who is responsible for attracting this situation and person into YOUR business experience. If you change your thoughts and focus before taking any action with the ‘problem’ person, you will begin steering the ship back on course. Now, I’m not saying don’t sit your team member or contractor down and have a heart-to-heart chat about what you’re noticing. But before you do, you better take a good look at a few things about the way you do business. • When you said yes to working with this person did you truly feel it was an ideal fit? • Does this person truly know your expectations? How do you know? • Do they love their job? How do you know? • How are you feeling about your profits? Time management? Ability to lead? • Do you expect this person to shine or fall down in certain areas of the job? • Are you more focused on their “issues” than what they do well? • Do you expect to always get high-octane results with your team with ease? Whether you like it or not, all of these things affect the outcome you get. It will impact who you hire, when you fire and what you get in between. How you feel when you take actions to correct the issue will also impact the results. You created the good, the bad and the wacky in your business. With a little intentional focus and some patience, you can turn any team into a success. You still may end up letting some people go but when you work on YOUR thoughts and behavior you’ll easily attract the ideal members to fill in the gap. I see being a team leader as an opportunity to constantly upgrade your vibe. Taking responsibility can be a bitch, but it’s oh-so worth it when you end up with people who perform really well and you adore them.