Page 133 - Becoming a Successful Manager

124 ESTABLISHING A SOLID DEPARTMENTAL FOUNDATION

tions of how they handle adversity. Telltale signs include shifting
blame, fi nding fault, making excuses, and failing to take respon-
sibility for mistakes.
During your interviews with prospective employees, you may
also want to tell them that your private mission is to create an envi-
ronment in which all employees feel motivated to perform to the
best of their abilities and are encouraged to act responsibly toward
one another. Then ask candidates how they can contribute to the

fulfillment of this mission. If you get a favorable response, you’re
probably looking at someone who would be a healthy addition to
that environment.

How to Deal with Stubborn Weeds

Creating an open and productive working environment is an ambi-
tious undertaking. While conscientious employees will embrace
this fresh outlook, others will stubbornly resist it. They may be
mired in their old habits of blaming and fi nding fault with others,
bullying fellow employees, and allowing their egos to dictate their
actions. Since these actions are harmful to your department, it is
imperative that you put a stop to them.
To help you discourage people who insist on generating weeds,
you might want to enlist the aid of other members of your depart-
ment. The more people you involve in a cause, the more successful
it will be. You may fi nd that the merits extend beyond your depart-
ment to the whole organization. Wouldn’t that be a nice benefi t?
If all your positive efforts fail with someone you’re certain is a
weed producer, and you’ve put the person on notice, you have only
one resort: uproot the weed. It is better to remove a weed than to
allow it to ruin your garden.