Most employees do try hard at work, but there are those who simply won’t put in the effort. Their weapon is manipulation. How do you recognize them and what do you do with them? The Inc.com website offers the following advice.
1. “I can’t do my work until you …”
• There really are situations where the statement above is true. But some people are masters at delegating towards the management. Their excuse is that they are trying to do good work.
• When someone delegates their task onto your to-do list, give it back to them and say “No, you take care of this.” Offer advice rather than assistance.
2. “I already told you about this…”
• It may be true. If they want to conceal an unpleasant fact, they’ll tell it to you on the last page of a long report in a section you usually skip over. They expect that you will not notice it.
• Ask for a summary of each such report on one A4 page and make it clear that if anything important is missing, the employee will be held responsible for it.
3. “I am so overworked….”
• Some people are experts at looking really busy. They are constantly rushing somewhere and they always carry a stack of papers. But they actually never accomplish anything.
• Tell this person to finish what they’re doing. Then ask them to complete a specific, measurable project by an exact deadline: “Do this by Monday. I will accept no excuses.” Repeat as necessary.
4. “There are three possibilities…”
• Creating the illusion of choice is another form of manipulation. You get three alternatives to choose from, but two of them are completely far-fetched. The employee hopes that you will choose the third one.
• Choose the worst one. Then tell the shocked employee: “But seriously. I want three realistic options, not two that are absurd and one that you like. They’ll be on my table tomorrow.”
5. “That won’t work because…”
• Some people only see obstacles. They always find a problem. They may be useful if you really want to identify risks. Nevertheless, they are usually just a source of decreased productivity.
• Tell them to stop listing the reasons why something won’t work and to start saying how it will work. If they don’t come up with a specific plan, tell them that since they did not come up with anything better, they’re to follow your plan and adapt. Then end the debate.
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