As a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, I have the privilege of meeting and networking with amazing women from all over the country. One of my “Boss Sisters” is TJ Everhart, an expert in organization change and performance management. I had the privilege of being featured in TJ’s podcast, “Life Ain’t Fair – Redesign It”. You can listen here to my episode, The Tortoise or The Hare.
My initial conversation with TJ regarding the genius of her Leadership Training prompted me to invite her to submit a guest
TJ Everhart
blog post. Honestly, I could talk to TJ for hours! Her article below is so incredibly important not just for large companies but also for small business owners as they work hard to grow their business.
Forbes states that most people don’t leave a bad company; they leave a bad boss. With that in mind though, how many times have you heard a person speaking badly about the company itself, rather than the bad boss? Ultimately the blame falls on the company and their failure to correct the leader. I’ve identified reasons as to why companies do not self-correct, and I will address one in this post.
In an article in the Huffington Post, they highlighted an executive who was let go because of sexual harassment. The shareholders sued the company because they found the multi-million dollar severance package given to the executive was unfair. The ridiculous part, though, is that sexual harassment was even an issue within this large corporation.
What led to the employee’s exit was the leader’s refusal to change their ways. It’s rarely because the leader or the management was clueless about the infractions. Feeling ignored and unhappy, employees come to work solely for the paycheck while planning their exit strategy.
I also found that the same rings true for business owners and employees. Say what? Yep, some business owners and some employees refuse to change the negative behaviors that are affecting them. I offer training on a course called Dealing With Difficult People and Dealing With Difficult Employees. Often, I have leaders who are taking the class because they have these “horrendous employees”, their words, not mine, who are described as negative, non-productive, messy, rude, arrogant, nasty attitude, gossiper, lazy. Trust me, these are all adjectives given to me when I ask them to describe their “difficult” employee or “difficult” customer. It’s amazing how leaders or business owners can find 5,000 things wrong with someone else, but when I ask them to tell me about their negative behaviors, they struggle to think of one.
The first reason a person does not change their negative behaviors is that they don’t fear the consequences for failing to change. I have heard so many times, “that’s just the way I am”. I reply that the way they are isn’t working well for them or the organization.
We are perfect because our moms told us so as a child. So sweet of her, thinking her little angel could do no wrong. So we grew up and went into the workforce. Some decided to be leaders, understanding that they speak on behalf of the organization. Some chose to be business owners, understanding that customers are their greatest asset. Some decided to be a personal contributor to the organization without the responsibility of managing people. Some fail to realize that their negative actions can cost them way more than correcting the behavior.
The consequences are too great. A leader who mistreats an employee could subject the company to a lawsuit. Where it could have cost a company a couple of thousand dollars to train their leadership team, they could be held liable to hundreds of thousands if not millions in lawsuits. Yes, I said it, millions. Check out this case.
Companies have to deal with reputational risk. Have you read Glassdoor and see what former employees are saying about a company? Some of those reviews would certainly deter a high caliber employee from applying. It affects the morale and culture of the organization. Instead of being known as the best place to work, the organization could be called the worst. Who in the world wants that title?
For you as a business owner, think about the reputational risk you may face because you failed to self-correct negative behavior. Because of social media, before a person leaves your establishment or gets off of the phone, they have already documented the occurrence. Unfortunately, A negative experience spreads must quicker than a positive one. Magic Johnson says, “protect your brand at all cost”.
I challenge any organization to think about the consequences of not changing. As we say at TJ Everhart Consulting, Inc., training is cheaper than a lawsuit or possible harm to your brand’s reputation.
To reach out to TJ, please visit her website tjeverhart.com for her contact information and for descriptions of how she helps organizations correct their course.