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In response to yesterday’s post, about the Manager with problem employees rule-breaking behind his back.

I see three origins of this behavior.

• Malicious, destructive rule breaking.
• Lazy, non-compliant rule breaking, when the boss is not around.
• Fun rule breaking, light hearted, poking fun at authority, when the boss is not around.

Here is one thing we understand.

The team members know the rules. People don’t break the rules without knowing the rules. So, this is not a training issue. This is a mindset issue, which is a bigger problem.

Changing a mindset rarely comes from the outside. A Manager cannot dictate that a person change a mindset. Those of you with children can attest. It simply does not work.

The solution will require a multiple set of meetings. I would recommend twice a week, 10 minutes per meeting. So, pick a Monday and Thursday, or Tuesday and Friday, first thing in the morning. As the Leader, simply ask these questions and flipchart the responses from your team. Keep your thoughts to yourself. Post the flipcharts in the break room and leave them there.

• Meeting 1: How are we doing, working together as a team?
• Meeting 2: What impact do we, as a team, have on the customer?
• Meeting 3: In what way can we, as a team, have a more positive impact on the customer?
• Meeting 4: What impact does our individual behavior have on the behavior of our other team members?
• Meeting 5: In what way can we, as a team, have a positive impact, helping each other create a more positive customer experience?

The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Get the team talking about behavior, not the manager talking about behavior.
• Re-focus the energy of the team from misbehavior to customer focus.
• Get the team to create its own accountability for behavior, even when the Manager is not around. -TF