3 Types Of Employees You Should Fire Immediately

Jayson Demers, Inc. Jul. 29, 2014

As a business owner, your time is limited; you hired a team of capable professionals because there's no way you can do it all.

Even if your organization runs like a well-oiled machine, there's usually at least one team member who causes you more stress than the others. You may not even realize it, but these "time-suckers" hurt your business by drawing your attention away from the tasks you need to do each day.

While many types of productivity-zappers exist in an office environment, none are as disruptive as those who directly affect strategic decision-makers. These three types of people should be removed from your staff as soon as possible.

1. The Drama Queen

If your office doesn't have a drama queen, consider yourself lucky. Found in almost every group of people, these individuals live life as though it's a reality show. They enjoy stirring things up, then sitting back to watch the fireworks. You'll likely find yourself frequently breaking up arguments between employees, only to find the resident drama queen at the heart of it. Whether it's exposing what someone said about someone else or accusing someone of neglecting his work, these individuals will constantly require your attention as referee.

Unfortunately, drama queens do more than simply waste worker productivity. Their behind-the-scenes conversations are often negative in tone, and the attitude can be contagious. This is especially true if the drama queen directs attention to the company's leadership, causing a general distaste for management that leads to greater problems within the organization.

Managing drama queens can be a delicate situation, because much of what they do is social. Some businesses have implemented no-gossip policies, but these policies are usually impossible to legally enforce. They can also lead employees to feel that their personal conversations are being monitored and judged. Instead, employers should document the behaviors that have led to incidents in the office and address them directly with the individual.

2. The Victim

One of the toughest challenges of managing people is knowing how to handle the ones who like to play the victim. These people avoid accountability for their own actions, preferring to blame others for bad situations. They'll always have an excuse, and their constant complaints aren't missed by their coworkers, who can even begin to develop their own victim mentality as a result of seeing others do it.

Even stickier is the employee who seems to always have some ailment. While every employer wants his staff to be as healthy as possible, there are occasionally people who take advantage of the employer's generosity by claiming an array of medical conditions that, over time, turn out to be unfounded. Too often, the employer is left not knowing for certain if the person is truly ill or is simply trying to take advantage of the system.

The overriding issue in the workplace is how the person's actions are affecting the business as a whole. One person's chronic absences and refusal to participate will eventually be noticed by other employees, who are likely to feel resentful about having to cover. To avoid issues, have a set policy in place regarding absenteeism, making it clear that after a certain number of days within a cycle, a doctor's notice will be required. When an assignment affects a vast majority of the staff, make it clear that everyone is required to participate.

Keep careful documentation of each incident and, if issues persist, have a talk with the employee about his or her issues. Make it clear that if the person continues to miss work or decline to participate in work assignments, action will be taken that may include termination. It's important to review the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), because you'll be required to provide accommodations if the condition falls into an area that would be classified as a "major impairment."

3. The Nonconformist

These rebels without a cause are determined to break the rules, from the simplest to the most complex. If you have a dress code that prohibits T-shirts with slogans, this person will wear one every Friday. If you have a set procedure for how tasks should be completed, they'll go off script every time. While some businesses are less restrictive than others, every business usually finds it must enact some rules to avoid problems and remain productive. These employees seem to see "rules" as "control" and want to battle you each step of the way.

Instead of engaging in a power struggle with these renegades, determine if there are ways you can work with rebels rather than against them. Often a rebel is nothing more than an independent thinker who wants to make a difference in the world, rather than just following along with what others tell them. If you can put these qualities to work for your organization, you may find you have an employee who can help your organization grow.

Sometimes, however, the rebel mentality comes from someone who takes it a step further and tries to take over. This person tends to come across as a know-it-all, refusing to listen to instruction and instead choosing to do things his or her own way. Worst of all, this type of person may have appoint him- or herself as a leader within the organization, ordering other employees around. If given enough time, this type of toxic behavior could drive some of your best employees away.

Whether an employee's independent attitude is a benefit to your organization or not, it can definitely take a toll on employee morale. As others see that someone is violating company policies, they may begin to wonder why they have to follow the rules when everyone else doesn't. For that reason, you'll have to enforce your company policies in a uniform manner, whether it's corporate dress code, office hours and attendance, meeting project deadlines, or some other clearly outlined rule.

Conclusion

Employee management is one of the toughest challenges for business owners. By identifying employees who drain productivity and slow your business growth, you'll be able to remove them and bring in professionals who will help you meet your long-term goals.

http://www.businessinsider.com/3-types-of-employees-to-fire-2014-7?IR=T&utm_content=buffer74f37&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Why Pope Francis Is So Effective: 8 Lessons for Every Leader

BY Minda Zetlin

With an 88 percent approval rating, he must be doing something right.

Pope Francis has approval ratings any leader could envy: 88 percent of American Catholics think he's doing a good job, and nearly three quarters of Americans in general view him with favor. What is he doing right?

To answer that question, business author Jeffrey A. Krames examined His Holiness's approach from a leadership perspective, and the result is Lead with Humility: 12 Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis. Though a non-Catholic, Krames was inspired to write about the pontiff because he is the child of Holocaust survivors, he explains. "When I saw Pope Francis, I thought he was the anti-Hitler."

Here are some practices that make Pope Francis so effective--and that any business leader could use:

1. Reach out to non-customers.

Peter Drucker famously noted that every organization has more non-customers than customers, and that you can learn more from the people who aren't buying your product than from those who are. At 1.2 billion adherents, the Catholic Church has what you might call a huge customer base, but Francis makes sure to reach out to non-Catholics as well, for instance by declaring that God has redeemed all of us, not just Catholics.

"That simple leadership tenet may be the best way to increase market share," Krames says.

2. Embrace risk.

When Francis was young, he became very ill, and the nun who tended him disobeyed the doctor's instructions and tripled his dose of antibiotics, because she knew from experience that without that higher dose he would die. "He uses that as an example of living on the frontier," Krames says.

You can't be an effective leader if you're always playing it safe, he adds. "Living on the frontier is something the pope has to do every day."

3. Reinvent your organization.

"Don't change--reinvent!" Krames advises. "Pope Francis is a fearless reformer. He has taken on just about every faction of the Catholic Church in order to make it a more inclusive religion."

The best leaders do the same, he adds. "They do not fear change--they know when changing a few things is not enough. They reinvent their organizations in an ever-changing global marketplace."

4. Be patient.

Though reinvention is essential, "Authentic change doesn't take weeks or months, it takes years," Krames says. Francis has shown by his timing that he understands this, Krames adds. "For example, it was almost his one-year anniversary before he reportedly commented that divorced and remarried people could receive Holy Communion." He knows that such paradigm changes can happen only over the long term, Krames says.

5. Get in the field.

"Francis hates any members of the clergy who sit in offices and push paper," Krames says. As a bishop in Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (as he was then), would dress as a plain priest and go out at night to talk with people. "When he became pope he told one of his archbishops, 'I can't do that anymore, so you're going to do it for me.' He doesn't want a pristine church, he wants a church that's going out in the streets to find people and help them." Likewise, Francis famously chose not to move into the papal apartments but to remain in a guest suite at the Vatican, "to live in community with others," according to a Vatican representative.

In the same way, the most effective business leaders are those who keep in touch with as many constituents as they can. Delegating is a necessary part of leadership, but don't hand off all contact with lower-level employees or customers. Otherwise, you may find yourself isolated and out of touch.

6. Listen to diverse voices.

It's much too easy for business leaders to surround themselves with like-minded advisors and leave it at that, Krames says. While that can be comfortable and efficient, it will tend to reinforce the status quo, which is not good for any organization over time.

"What the pope has done to avoid being insular is create the Vatican Eight [V8]," Krames says. That's a group of advisors including cardinals from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia, as well as Europe, plus one Vatican official. "To me, it's his board of directors," Krames says. "They're from all over the world, and they consult with him to help him make decisions. He wants to get other people's opinions."

7. Put the organization's goals above your own.

"The qualities that help send people to the top of organizations fly in the face of humility," Krames says. "They're full of confidence and bravado, and these are not terms Pope Francis approves of in a leader." In the long run, though, setting your organization's goals above your own will build a more powerful organization and benefit you as its leader.

Krames says that's what Bergoglio did in 2005, when he was the only strong contender against Joseph Ratzinger to become pope after the death of John Paul II. Through the successive ballots papal elections often require, Bergoglio reportedly encouraged his supporters to vote for Ratzinger instead of fighting it out. "He decided that would be bad, because it would have taken extra days to decide, and he didn't think that was good for the church," Krames says. (Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI but resigned in 2013 due to ill health.)

8. Lead by example.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio recruited priests to go into the city's most dangerous slums, the villas miserias. In these places, the collar does not offer much protection; priests have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Still, Bergoglio often showed up unannounced to drink tea with parishioners and to support local priests.

And in 2009, when one of his priests received a death threat for having spoken out against drugs in one of the villas, Bergoglio walked the streets, providing himself as a target and a dare for anyone wanting to retaliate. "They were never bothered again," Krames says.

http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/why-pope-francis-is-so-effective-8-lessons-for-every-leader.html?cid=sf01002

விடிந்தும் விடியாத விடுதலை!

“நள்ளிரவில் வாங்கினோம், இன்னும் எங்களுக்கு விடியவில்லை..” என்பவர்களும், ‘எங்கள் வீட்டு கம்பத்திற்கு கொடி கொடுத்த விடுதலை எங்களுக்கு வீட்டை கொடுக்க வில்லை’ என்று புலம்புவர்களுக்கும் இடையே மலேசியா போன்ற ஒரு நாடு கிடைக்காது என்ற எண்ணத்தை கொண்டவர்களில் நானும் ஒருவன்.

ஆங்கிலேயர்களிடமிருந்து விடுதலை பெற்றதிற்கு பல காரணங்கள் இருப்பினும், நமது நாட்டிற்கு விடுதலை என்பது தவிர்க்க இயலாத ஒன்றாகும்.  இரண்டாம் உலக யுத்தத்திற்கு பிறகு ஆசியாவில் இருந்த ஆங்கிலேயர்களின் வெளியேற்றம் ஒரு நிர்பந்த நிகழ்வாகும். தேசிய உணர்வுக்கு உந்தப்பட்ட மக்கள் விடுதலை காற்றை சுவாசிக்க தயாரானர்கள்.

மலாயாவின் விடுதலை ஓர் உண்ணதக் கனவாகும். இது எங்களின் தேசம். இந்த நாடு எங்கள் நாடு என உரிமை கொண்டு மார்தட்டும் ஒரு நிகழ்வாகும்.

அதுவே, நமது நாட்டுக்கு நாம்தான் இனி பொறுப்பு என மக்கள் அனைவரும் ஒன்றாக இணைந்து சொந்தமாக ஆட்சி செய்ய முடிவெடுத்த நாளாகும்.

நமக்கான சட்டம், நமக்கான நாடாளுமன்றம், அமைச்சரவை என மக்களே முடிவு செய்ய அரசமைப்பு சட்ட வழிமுறை வகுக்கப்பட்டது. அதில் மக்களுக்கு வாக்களிக்கும் உரிமை கொடுக்கப்பட்டு அதன் படி மக்களே தங்களை நிர்வகிக்கும் அரசாங்கத்தை அமைக்கும் பொறுப்பையும் பெற்றனர்.

மக்கள் நினைத்தால் அரசாங்கத்தை மாற்றலாம். அதன்வழி பிரதமரை மாற்றலாம். அமைச்சர்களை மாற்றலாம். அரசமைப்பு முறையில் கூட மாற்றங்களை கொண்டு வரலாம். அதன்வழி சட்டங்களையும் மாற்றலாம். இவையெல்லாம் மக்களுக்கு கிடைத்த அதிகாரம். இதற்கு பெயர்தான் சனநாயகம்.

இப்படி எதையும் செய்யும் ஆற்றலை மக்கள் பெற்றனர். இந்த ஆற்றலை கொண்டு அரசாங்கத்தை அமைத்து அதன் வழி நாட்டை செம்மை படுத்தி அதில் வாழும் மக்களுக்கு நாட்டின் தரதிற்கு ஏற்ற வாழ்க்கையும் வாழ்வாதாரமும் கிடைக்கும் சூழ்நிலையை உருவாக்கி இருக்க வேண்டும்.

அதுதான் மக்களின் உண்மையான விடுதலைக்கான அடையாளம் ஆகும்.

ஆனால், இனவாதமும் மதவாதமும் உள்வாக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில், ஓர் ஆதிக்க இனவாத அரசியல் முறையை உருவாக்க நாம் அனைவருமே இணைந்து பங்காற்றியுள்ளோம்.

பல்லின மக்களும் பல்வகை பண்பாடும் கொண்ட நமது நாட்டில் போதுமான வளங்கள் உள்ளன. ஆம், நாம் ஒரு பணக்கார நாடு. இங்கு வறுமை இருந்தால் அது ஒரு மானக்கேடாகும்.

பல நிலைகளில் முன்னேற்றம் கண்டு, இன்று உலகில் வளரும் நாடுகளில் முன்னணி வகிக்கும் மலேசியா தன்னுள்ளே கொண்டுள்ள மோசமான குறைபாடுகளை களைய வேண்டிய நிர்பந்தத்தில் உள்ளது. நீண்ட கால ஆட்சியை நடத்தும் ஒரே கட்சி, தொடர்ந்து நாட்டை குத்தகைக்கு எடுத்துக்கொண்டது போல் அரசாங்க இயந்திரத்தை தன்னுடமையாக்கி தன்னை தற்காத்துகொள்கிறது. இன-மத அடையாளங்கள் வழி பிரிவினைகளை ஆழமாக்கி, சிறுபான்மையினரை இரண்டாம்தர குடிமக்களாக மதிப்பீடு செய்கின்றனர்.

நாம் உருவாக்கிய விடுதலை மலேசியாவில் விடுதலை உணர்வு பெற்ற நாம் இன்று நமது நாட்டை மக்களுக்குகென மீட்டெடுக்கும் தாகத்தில் உள்ளோம்.

இந்த 57 ஆவது சுதந்திர தினம் நமக்கு ஒரு புதிய விழிப்புணர்சியை தூண்டும் நாள். இந்த நாடு நமது நாடு. இதில் பிறந்த நமக்கு வேறு நாடு கிடையாது. நமது நாட்டின் மண்வாசனை நிரம்பிய நமது ஒவ்வொரு சுவாசமும், நமது தேசப்பற்றையும் அதோடு கலந்த தேசப்பொறுப்பையும் உணர்த்தும்.

அந்தப் பொறுப்பு தாகமாகி செயலாக்கம் காணும் போது,  விடுதலை அனைத்து மக்களுக்குமானது என்ற பரிமாணத்தை எட்டுகிறது.

(கா. ஆறுமுகம்)

http://www.semparuthi.com/?p=113296

Coming back to this blog after a looooonnnnng absence. Been busy. From now on will focus on personal development and leadership matters.