Credit Management Association

by Colleen Kettenhofen

“When managing difficult people, if it isn’t written down, it’s as if it didn’t happen.”

Many managers and supervisors are promoted to management positions based on their hard skills. Yet few of them have had training in the area of managing people. Especially managing difficult people. In conducting seminars on managing people, one challenge I hear managers and supervisors face nowadays is how to manage a difficult employee. You can’t control them, but you can control their environment in the hopes of coaching the employee to better performance.

Here are 10 Management Tips for Managing Difficult People:

1. Document, document, document. As far as the courts are concerned, if it isn’t written down it’s as if it didn’t happen. Even if you have a prospective employee sign a form saying they know they can be terminated at any time, without cause, and without warning or reason. You never want to terminate without proper documentation. Terminating an employee without cause, reason, or prior warning, can make it easier for the difficult person to win a wrongful termination lawsuit.

2. Document training and coaching. Any type of training you provide for your difficult employee is considered coaching. In managing difficult people, many managers assume the documentation is to build a case for termination. It is not! It’s really to show everything you did to try and salvage the difficult employee. This includes any and all training. Whether you trained the employee, someone else trained them, or you sent them to a seminar to be coached to better performance.

3. Avoid the word “attitude.” In managing difficult people, why would you want to avoid saying something like, “Pat, I don’t like your attitude?” Because it’s too subjective. It’s not specific enough.

4. Focus instead on specific behaviors or the quality of their work. For example, what should you do if every time you delegate a special project to the difficult person, they fold their arms, exhale loudly, roll their eyes, and sarcastically mutter under their breath, “Okay, whatever?!” You would want to say in a low controlled tone something like, “Pat, every time I delegate a special project to you, the arms are folded, you’re rolling your eyes, muttering under your breath, ‘Okay, whatever.’ What seems to be the cause of this?” Notice I listed specific behaviors. So focus on facts.

5. Be objective, not subjective. As mentioned, when managing difficult people, be objective by mentioning specific behaviors, or specific declines in the quality of their work. For example, when documenting the employee’s “attitude,” you might document the following: “Every time I delegated a special project to Pat so-and-so, he/she would fold their arms, exhale loudly, roll their eyes, and mutter under their breath, “Okay, whatever!” Now, if this were ever read by a jury, or your H. R. department if you have one, or your manager, they would have a clear picture of this person’s attitude.

“When managing difficult people, it’s imperative that you make their goals and objectives measurable, specific, quantifiable, and in writing for accountability.”

6. Provide specific examples of the behavior or quality of work you want. Put it in writing for accountability. When managing difficult people, it’s imperative that as their manager or supervisor, you’re making their goals and objectives clear. For example, if they’re doing clerical work, they are to, “Correct and proofread all required reports for the quality control department.” Or if they’re in customer service, an example of a measurable, quantifiable, specific goal would be that they are to, “Respond to all customer complaints within 48 hours of receiving them.” If they’re in manufacturing, they are to, “Produce 35% more wingbats by December 15 of this year. ”

7. Be aware of how you present yourself. When managing difficult people, remember, you are their role model. Be aware of your eye contact. Typically look at the person for two to five seconds. You don’t want to stare at them bug eyed! But you also don’t want to avoid looking at them because you’ll come across as too passive, too wishy-washy. They’ll sense you’re fear of confrontation.

Having lots of eye contact can be difficult for some people because in some cultures, children are brought up that it’s disrespectful to have eye contact with their elders. It can be difficult to unlearn these habits. Also, watch your tone of voice. Use a low controlled tone. Be aware of your body language, too. Study after study shows that fully 93% of what people notice and believe about you in face-to-face communication is based on your tone and body language.

8. Be very clear and concise in spelling out the consequences of what could happen if they don’t improve. For example, if this is a verbal warning, you might say to the employee, “You know our policy here, and right now this is a verbal warning. As it says in our handbook, if there isn’t sustainable and maintained improvement including and beyond the next thirty days, it could result in further disciplinary action. Or, it could even result in termination.” In managing difficult people, one of the golden rules is you don’t want the employee to ever be able to say that they “weren’t warned.” Or, “I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me that.”

9. Get at the root cause of what is causing the employee to be difficult. For example, do they simply not like their job? Would they rather be in a different department? Are there personal issues going on with the difficult person that you need to know about? While it’s not your business to know what they do outside of work, it is your business if it’s something that’s affecting their work performance.

You can simply say to the difficult person, “Is everything okay? Is there anything going on that I need to know about? Because this drop in performance just doesn’t seem like you. As your manager/supervisor I want to see you succeed. And I’ve noticed a real decline in the quality of your work, for example….” Then, give very specific examples. Remember, be objective not subjective. Focus on facts. Attack the problem not the difficult person. Attack the behavior not the person.

In managing difficult people, a lot of this is common-sense. Yet, as mentioned earlier, most managers, supervisors and team leaders are promoted to leadership positions based on the fact that they were doing a great job. But that doesn’t mean they know how to manage difficult people.

10. In managing difficult people, have follow up performance-related meetings with the difficult employee. For two reasons: First, it’s what the courts want to see. Second, it does the employee a great disservice if they make a big turn-around and you don’t acknowledge it. Have a date and a time in writing for when you and the difficult person are going to meet again. And do meet! According to research one of the main reasons employee improvement plans fail is lack of follow-up on the part of the manager.

“When managing difficult people, most of us know what to do. We just don’t always ‘do’ with what we know.”

About the Author: Colleen Kettenhofen is an Arizona motivational speaker, author and workplace expert. She is co-author of The Masters of Success, featured on NBC’s Today Show. For free video clips, articles, e-newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars by calling (800)323-0683.colleen@colleenspeaks.com

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By Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor

We all ask questions. And when we ask the right way – and ask the right questions – we normally can get the best and right answers.

J. Douglas Edwards, a master sales trainer from years ago, now deceased, said: “Questions ARE the answers.” And we so agree with him. To get the right answers we need to ask the right questions and in the right ‘mode.’ And there are various types of questioning techniques.

It’s like your mother said, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” Telephone Doctor has defined several questioning techniques to help you get the right answers.

Every salesperson knows that, as Mr. Edwards said, questions ARE the answers. As salespeople we are taught to ask questions, to talk less and listen more. One of the best ways to listen more is to ask good questions.

From “Do you have the correct time?” to “Where did you go on your vacation?” asking questions can be the key to your success. Let’s go over them now. Which type of questioner are you?

1. The Open-Ended Question – These are questions without a fixed limit. They are questions that encourage continued conversation and help you get more information. They’re used to get people to open up and talk. Most, not all, but most open ended questions will start with one of these words: Who, What, Where, Why, When and How. I say most, not all, because while these are well known words to begin open-ended questions, they can still get you one-word answers. So while not perfect, open-ended questions will normally get you much more information.
2. Closed-Ended Questions – Conversely, closed-ended questions do have a fixed limit. They’re often answered with a yes or no or a simple statement of fact. Closed-ended questions are usually used to direct the conversation, to get brief specific information or to confirm facts.The next time you watch a movie that has a trial scene, you’ll see lawyers using open and closed-ended questions, at the right time, to get the answers they need/want. Pay attention to how they use them.
3. Probing Questions – These are normally used after an open-ended question to get yet more information. And that’s because we sometimes ask an open-ended question and we only get part of what we need. So it’s more of a follow up to get more information.Probing questions can start off with, “Tell me more about ” Example: After you have asked, “Where did you go on your vacation?” And the customer says: “Disney World.” The probing question would be: “Tell me more about Disney World.” Probing questions are valuable in getting to the heart of the matter.

   Often times you need to offer “aided recall’ to help the customer along. Aided recall is part of probing. Something like: “Does the message on the screen say error, reboot or does it just freeze up?” These types of questions are helpful to the customer and will lead you to the right answer.

4. The Echo Question – This doesn’t mean you repeat the question 50 times, but it does mean you take all or part of the statement the customer made, repeat it once, and turn it into a question. Like this:Customer: I didn’t get the right information!

   You: You didn’t get the right information?

   Customer: That’s correct. I needed all 4 pages and only got 2.

   See? By using the echo question the customer gave you ‘more’ information. Good technique.

5. Leading Questions – These are the fun and favorite types of questions by salespeople. They’re often called “tie downs.” They’re used to cement the information in your favor. They’re short phrases used after a statement of fact. They invite agreement and help the customer to say, “YES.”Like this: “You’ll want to see both islands, won’t you?” or “After 10 years it’s time to get new carpeting, isn’t it?”

   Leading questions are useful in helping someone who’s undecided make the right decision.

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By: Nancy Friedman

Your Mom was right. It’s not what you say, but how you say it. Several times while I was out shopping recently, I’ve been told things that frankly, weren’t that bad, but the tone of voice was so wrong. I walked away not wanting to do business with that company anymore. It reminded me of that game we played a long time ago. You take one sentence and emphasize each word one at a time every time you say the sentence. Something like this:

I love my job.
I love my job.
I love my job.
I love my job.

You can take most sentences and do that. Point being, the way we emphasize and use our tone of voice means a whole lot in the customer service arena. Think of all the ‘tones’ and deliveries we can use. A few that come to mind are:

Bored
Happy
Sad
Angry
Terrified
Worried
Unconcerned
Hurt
Inconsiderate
Shocked

You can take your own sentence and infuse it with any one of the emotions listed above. Certainly you can think of other emotions to use also.

Obviously, there are various tones we don’t want to use in certain situations. As basic as this sounds, we cannot forget that our voice is a key instrument delivering customer service.

Let’s go back to the opening paragraph and my true story. I had gone into a store and purchased an item. When the clerk told me the amount, I wrote out a check. He took it and looked up my account. Without even looking up at me he said, “If you’re gonna write a check, I have to see a picture ID.” The tone he used was rather threatening in my perception. I’d been a customer there a long time and this was the first time I’d been asked for ID. I immediately made a decision not to return there any more.

There were several ways he could have told me he needed ID. Especially since he saw from the database, which he found prior to my handing him the check, that I had been a frequent customer.

He could have said, “Mrs. Friedman, I see you’re on the database and shop here often. Most clerks know you. However, I’ve only been here three days and haven’t met everyone yet. If I can get your ID this time, next time I’ll recognize you.”

That’s just one way. Gosh, you even feel the difference just by reading the words. See the difference? More importantly, I’m sure you could hear the difference.

At the other end of the customer service spectrum, I went into a jewelry store the other day to pick up an item. When I said to the owner, who does know me, that I was here to pick up my watch, I could sense he seemed to blank out on my name. With a big smile he said, “Good, glad to get it. By the way, which name will that be under?” A class act. And he didn’t make me feel as though he couldn’t remember my name.

So practice using your most positive tone with which to talk to customers. Then, practice saying positive things. It works wonders. And remember, you can “HEAR” the SMILE.

Nancy Friedman

Nancy Friedman, customer service and sales expert, is available to speak at your association conference or corporate event. Click here for a complimentary DVD demo of Nancy in action. You can also contact Nancy directly via email nancy@telephonedoctor.com to discuss your specific needs.

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MENLO PARK, CA — For many hiring managers, evaluating a job applicant may feel like going on a blind date: the applicant looks good on paper but disappoints in person. More than seven out of 10 (72 percent) senior executives interviewed said it is common for candidates with promising resumes not to live up to expectations during the interview.

The survey was developed by Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 senior executives with the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.

Executives were asked, “How common is it for a job applicant who has a promising resume to not live up to your expectations when you interview him or her?” Their responses:

Very common 11%
Somewhat common 61%
Not very common 23%
Not at all common 1%
Don’t know 4%

“A resume tells a hiring manager only a limited story about the job applicant,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of Human Resources Kit For Dummies®, 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). “In making crucial hiring decisions, nothing replaces in-person interaction to ensure the candidate has the requisite technical qualifications and the soft skills that will likely make him or her a good fit with the organization.”

Robert Half offers the following tips to help hiring managers make the best hires:

Fish where the fish are. Create finely tuned job ads that describe the ideal candidate and post them in targeted places, such as industry publications and professional association websites, to attract strong candidates.

Network. Seek recommendations from colleagues, staff and other professional contacts. Also network online and with members of industry organizations to ensure you cast a wide net.

Stay front and center. You know best what you want in an employee. Help prevent delays and potential hiring mistakes by remaining closely involved in the process from beginning to end.

Narrow the field by phone. Following up on promising resumes with a 10-minute telephone interview can help ensure you invite only the best candidates to in-person interviews. This can be a time saver because you’ll get an early reading on a person’s interpersonal skills and potential fit with your team.

Audition candidates. Bringing in workers initially on a temporary or project basis can give you the opportunity to observe firsthand their skills, performance and fit for a full-time position.

Get help. Specialized recruiters can help you pinpoint your staffing needs. And through their networks, they have access to people you might not be able to locate on your own, including professionals who may not be actively looking for a job but are open to making a change for the right opportunity.

Don’t delay. Don’t procrastinate when you identify strong applicants. By moving too slowly, you risk losing your first choice — and extending the hiring process.

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Opt-Ed in LA Business Journal
By MIKE MITCHELL and RICHARD HASTINGS

As the small business center of California, Los Angeles drives the largest economy in the United States.
The economic engine in our region is remarkably deep and wide – high-end restaurants, hotels and garages, gift shopsand grocery chains, small and medium manufacturers and retailers, and a virtual catalog of other enterprises – and it all depends on a system of business-to-business credit that is absolutely vital.

Elected officials and policy makers in Washington are ignoring that system of credit. Leaders in Sacramento don’t even talk about it. Until their focus shifts to business-to-business credit, our economy will not heal.

The L.A. economic system, much like the rest of the American economic system, is based on a strong and resilient foundation of faith and trust between free merchants who engage in unsecured business-to-business credit, otherwise known as trade credit. This credit moves goods and services, and it relies on trust that invoices will be paid after a brief period of time – a period that we call credit. Credit derives from the Latin word for trust and when that trust is broken, the entire system suffers unfortunate consequences.

Unlike consumer credit, business-to-business credit paves the roads under the trucks that carry the goods from the Port of Los Angeles to farms, factories, distribution centers, retail stores and small businesses.

When Joe Smith makes tables, he purchases raw wood. Joe buys that wood on credit from the wood supplier. He gets about a month to pay for it. No special security is required, unlike the mortgage on your house, secured by the property on which you live. Joe enters into purchase order agreements with retailers who want to buy his furniture on unsecured credit terms; typically, they pay Joe at least a month after he ships them the furniture. He trusts he will get paid. He has to get paid, or his wood supplier won’t get paid and may not get new orders from Joe if Joe’s customers do not pay him.

Joe’s tables are important. His employees earn their wages making his tables, the truck drivers who deliver his products to retailers depend upon Joe and the retailers make their profit only when they sell Joe’s tables. All those jobs feed the economy so families can purchase tables or chairs or countless other products. This is a beautiful, complete circular flow of commerce, but if one component breaks down, the entire flow can break down, leading to lower wages, lost jobs and a weak economy.

You get the picture. Business-to-business credit literally creates the kitchen table around which families sit each month to pay their bills and figure out what they’ll spend. However overworked the image may be, the American economy rises and falls around that table.

We applaud lawmakers and policy makers in Washington and New York for taking steps to improve the banking and regulatory systems. We sincerely hope that leaders in Sacramento can overcome their legendary bickering and devise a rational, compassionate way out of the mess that is our state budget. At the same time, we offer a stern warning. Until and unless overall trust is restored (and liquidity is a function of trust), no matter what policy makers do, the economy will continue to lag and the recovery will take that much longer.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said that “credit is the oxygen of the economy.” We agree, if he meant the entire credit system and not just secured bank lending or consumer credit. Geithner and other policymakers must understand the critical role of business credit in any normal economic recovery.

The focus in Washington has to shift away from only pouring money into banks and brokerage houses. We need Sacramento leadership to shift away from programs that put great stress on painful cuts and none at all on progress. The focus needs to shift to Joe, and that includes a forceful call for national policies that focus on the restoration of business-to business credit. That will revive the economy in our region. As Southern California goes, so goes the state. As California,one of the largest economies in the world, goes, so goes the nation.

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