Wednesday, September 5, 2012


30 Business No No’s (2)

It’s a “No No” to let your workplace get infected!


Don't hang out with angry people; don't keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious—don't get infected.[1] Solomon

Like a virus… bad temper is contagious!

Do you remember the bird flu?  Do you remember the steps we were taking to get vaccine to people?  We stopped flights in from China.  People were being screened.  There were pictures on the television of men and women wearing masks.  Every effort was made to prevent the bird flu from getting to these United States.  When it comes to anger we have the same responsibility as leaders. 
I was recently eating lunch with my wife at her place of employment when her team erupted.  There was a loud and abusive conversation between two members of the team.  Her workplace divides each level into pods for creative planning and to encourage the exchange of ideas between team members.  However, there is no training on how to handle conflict or on how to deal with abusive language and personality conflicts.   They are only reminded that they are to behave professionally in their work environment.  This amounts to a slap on the wrist for emotionally toxic individuals who are selfish and self focused rather than team centered in their approach. 
Individuals who act in such a way discourage productivity and stifle creative workers from achieving.  When an employer allows toxic workers to go unchecked he actually loses the better employees.  One unknown author stated it this way.  Anger is one letter short of danger. [2] If you are a leader, understand this, you cannot allow the workplace to become infected with an angry individual.  It is a “No No” to let the workplace become infected with anger. 
The fact is that words kill.  Careless angry words between employees, staff, administrators, and even families kill.  What do they kill?  They will kill your business.  They can kill your family.  They can kill the productivity of the team.  Toxic people let loose their anger when they are frustrated, or feel threatened.  These emotionally disabled employees are an infection to the teams they are one because they kill the joy of going to work.  Words spoken in anger kill productivity.  Even Jesus acknowledged the disabling affects of anger.  He said, "…  Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.[3]

A study from the University of Washington is in agreement.  They titled their study “Bad Apples”.  They describe the workers as like a “Virus”. 

A study from the University of Washington Business School published in Research in Organizational Behavior in 2007 examined how negative behavior by one person in an organization can impact on teams and groups. Researchers describe these individuals as "bad apples" acting like a virus within teams, with the capacity to "upset or spoil the whole apple cart". [4]

Don’t get infected!

I found this article on line from HR magazine from December 1996 issuing a warning to CEO’s, leaders, and business men about the infection of anger in the workplace.  "This is a very real problem for American business," said Hendrie Weisinger, "Management can't just ignore this any longer."  Employees aged 18 to 34 are more than four times as likely to report feeling angry than workers aged 50 and over, …”  "These are real issues to the employee," said Weisinger. "They hurt productivity. They block the teamwork that managers say they want. And, tragically, they lead to the explosions of violence and aggressive behavior that are now all too frequent occurrences in the American workplace."[5]
The apostle Paul when dealing with the organization of the church issued this statement to the churches.  “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.”[6]  Paul
            As leaders you can’t tolerate toxic people.   I think this is admonition from Paul to his leaders to be aggressive about protecting the environment of the church from toxic people.  Get rid of it.  This policy is applicable to business.  Outbursts which are foolish and spoil the workplace should be offenses which lead to an individual being terminated. In the book The Five Dysfunctions of Team by Patrick Lencioni, Lencioni talks about the necessity of building trust in the work place.  A team that trusts each other will not be absent of conflict rather it will be free to engage in conflict.  The character of such discussions in a healthy team allows for disagreement and creative thinking.  However, the team is absent of anger and emotionally toxic behavior.  Allowing teammates that uses their words aggressively breaks down trust.  These must be terminated as necessary. 
            Getting rid of infected employees goes beyond merely firing a toxic employee.  As leaders you have to staff for emotional changes which take place in your workforce.  One thing I would encourage every company to do is to find spiritual counselors who are prepared to assist with employees who are going through difficult life changes.  If an employee is going through divorce, dealing with loss of some kind, or losing their home do not expect that employee to be that productive and remember their emotional status will infect the rest of their team if they are endeared to them and even if they are not.  As leaders you get rid of emotionally toxic environments in your team by finding spiritual advisors to assist you.  This step is proactive and in this way you are working toward getting rid of the emotionally toxic work environment by being prepared. 
            Getting rid of the infected workplace environment requires that you establish values and a code of behavior for your workplace.  This may seem a bit severe; however, clearly communicating your expectations for behavior in the workplace is essential.  Every employee should know and understand what acceptable behavior in the workplace is.  As a leader we cannot assume that employees know right from wrong or understand what is acceptable office behavior or conduct.  If you want to get rid of all anger and bitterness in the workplace clearly communicate your expectations for behavior and reward and discipline when necessary. 
            Evaluate your attitude.  This is a big key in getting rid of such behaviors.  Leaders have a great influence on the behaviors of their employees.  If you have a bad temper you will likely attract bad tempered people.  “As goes the leader so goes the followers” Author Unknown.  You company will naturally take on the attitude, vision, and values that you hold as a leader.   If you want to get rid of the toxic angry words in the workplace begin with you first and do some soul searching. 
            Finally, do everything you can to prevent yourself from hiring people who are toxic or angry.  As a leader you are the primary protector of your workplace.  It begins with who you allow to work for you.  Hrmguide.com warns leaders about miss firing on hiring. 

"Managers at companies, particularly those in which employees often work in teams, should take special care when hiring new employees. This would include checking references and administering personality tests so that those who are really low on agreeableness, emotional stability or conscientiousness are screened out." [7]

Make no apologies for protecting the life and joy of your workplace.  Work is a necessity for us, but who said it needs to feel like work. 
Let’s review.  To keep from getting infected  you should fire toxic employees when necessary.  Second, you should prepare to take care of your employees by providing counselors for emotional situations. Third, you should let your expectations for behavior be known up front.  Fourth, you should evaluate how your attitude is affecting the workplace.  Lastly, don’t hire toxic people. 

It’s a “No No” to let your workplace be infected with angry or toxic people!

Roundtable:

1.     How do angry people diminish productivity in the workplace?
2.     Describe a work situation where you were confronted with an angry or toxic individual.  How was it handled? 
3.     What is your policy for behavior in the workplace?  Has it been clearly communicated? 
4.     What was the best work situation you have ever been in?  What made it a good place to work? 

[1] MSG, Proverbs 22:24-25; Biblegateway.com/ March 4, 2009; 10:25 AM
[2] (http://www.quotegarden.com/anger.html/ March 3, 2009: 8:10 PM)
[3] (MSG, Matthew 5:22-23 " www.biblegateway.com/  March 3, 2009; 8:25 PM)
[5](Workplace anger, a growing problem HR Magazine ,  Dec, 1996   by Elaine McShulskis;http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n12_v41/ai_19099646/ March 3, 2009; 8:45)
[6] (NLT, Ephesians 4:31  www.biblegateway.com/  March 3, 2009; 8:30 PM)
Posted by at No comments:

30 Business “No No’s” (1)
  1. Do not Destroy the Competition

Don't walk on the poor just because they're poor, and don't use your position to crush the weak (in the market place), because God will come to their defense; the life you took, he'll take from you and give back to them.[1] Solomon

Don’t walk over the poor just because they are poor.

In the early years of our country the colonies were very poor and having just fought the French and Indian war the need for extra funds was expressed from the mother country of England.  Our forefathers did not like the idea of being taxed as you may well know.  They felt as though they were being walk on and taken advantage of.  The English felt they had the right to tax the colonies because these were cities nurtured under the wings of England.  However, our forefathers felt now sense of obligation to pay when being taxed without representation.  Since most of the colonist fled from England for religious reasons there was no sense of duty to a country that had cast them out as criminals.
          During this time a man named Ben Franklin began using a symbol of a snake in his writings to try to create a more unified group of colonies.  He believed a rattle snake was the best image of the colonies.  When the revolutionary war broke an anonymous writer who called himself, “The American Guesser” wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal that he had observed some marines of the Navy flying a flag with a rattlesnake on it.  He then went on to describe why he guessed that the rattlesnake would be a good symbol for the American colonies against the English. 

First, it occurred to him that "the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America."

The rattlesnake also has sharp eyes, and "may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance." Furthermore,

"She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. ... she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."

Finally, "I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, 'till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers. ...

"'Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living." [2]

The flag that was raised was yellow and had a coiled snake in the middle and on the bottom it read, “Don’t tread on me.” 

England tried to oppress the poor colonies of these United States and they received a supernatural defeat in the Revolutionary War.  In business we must make it our duty to treat others justly and with integrity in the marketplace.  We should never use our position or influence to harm or take advantage of another.  The temptation in today’s business culture to make quick money and use people is prevalent.  It is a “no no” to walk over people to achieve success.

Don’t use your position to crush the weak. 
“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[3]

The original language of scripture uses the words “rob and destroy.”  The idea is that a person in the marketplace with power and influence would use their position to destroy and rob from those that were not as influential.  Their actions would not merely put another person out of business but would essentially take their clients and their lively hood away.  It would crush them and the competition for their products would be diminished. This in turn creates a situation where one company controls the price of a product. 
An example of this is what Amazon is doing to its publishers.  I have quoted from an recent bloggingstock article.
In the last few days, bookselling giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) has made a few more enemies in the publishing world by forcing the little-known group of print-on-demand (POD) publishers to either submit to using its POD subsidiary, Booksurge, or risk being prohibited from selling on its industry-leading website. No matter the cost and complications of breaking off relationships with other vendors, reformatting books and a host of other problems, Amazon laid down the law, saying convert -- and do it quickly -- or face the consequences. [4]
These kinds of practices are a business “No No”.  For business to work there must be competition.  Competition is good because it secures for the customer the lowest price for a product. 
          Why should any business care about ensuring competition in the work place?  Why should we be concerned with who gets walked on when we are doing business?  Every business has a Boss.  Our boss, our master is the Lord.  Whatever we do is to be done for the Lord.  We are to work and do business as though we doing it for our Lord.  He is our judge and the defender of those who are poor and weak that we have greater influence over.  We exist to honor him in how we do business. 

 (CEO) Masters … You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.[5]

Round table: 
How do you balance making a profit with being a good competitor? What services do you offer that larger companies cannot? Have you ever felt like you didn’t have any choice in the service that you wanted?  What did you do?  How prevalent is the “dog eats dog” mentality in business?  Why is competition good for the marketplace?
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)