Thought to ponder: “As a leader, you get what you tolerate.” (Susan Scott, Fierce Conversations)
Being a leader is a huge responsibility. As a business owner, it is our responsibility to set the vision, values and tone of the organization and aligning the team to achieve the goals.
But what happens when the team is not aligned? When employees are not producing and performance is marginal?
Terry Wills of Wills Transfer Limited, winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies 2017 says “When you have a culture and a way of conducting business or life and a team member is not able to accept those parameters then you have a choice: do nothing and accept that their views are the new culture or take action to uphold your values. If training and coaching cannot produce change then unfortunately the players have to be changed”.
One of the hardest things a leader does is to have those difficult conversations. Addressing the behaviours or performance early on will minimize the impact on the organization’s culture and hopefully turn around the troublesome employee to be the person you thought you hired. However, if there is not really change or willingness or desire to change, then as a leader, you will get what you tolerate. Ultimately, you cannot tolerate that which is not aligned with your goals and values. And the most difficult of all conversations will need to happen as you change the players.
Being a business owner can be lonely and it is often difficult to gain clarity on the issue in isolation. That is why here at Davies & Associates, we are your trusted advisors.
