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Perpetuating a Problem-Solving Culture 73

Furthermore, their mutual dislike is adversely affecting
their performance.
Problem statement: You want them to get along; you need
them to work together; and you expect them to accomplish
their work and they are not.
Situation: An employee is overly sensitive and becomes
defensive when you or other members of the department
correct him or attempt to help him.
Problem statement: You need him to accept feedback
constructively; you want him to trust you and his
co-workers and he does not.
Situation: You have a staff member who is constantly
complaining. For her, the glass is almost always half
empty.
Problem statement: You need her to adopt a positive
attitude or offer productive solutions and she is not.
Situation: A high-performing employee who was highly
motivated had a recent deterioration in his demeanor and
a decline in his performance.
Problem statement: You need him to be a high performer
again; you expect him to deliver; you want to understand
what happened and why, but you cannot . . . yet.

You may have noticed we italicized some text; what is common
about what we italicized? A surprising but essential point to accept
is that every problem you have is your responsibility. This is true
even though, as in the examples above, you could identify a par-
ticular employee who was the source. It is your problem because
what you’re seeing is a deviation from your desires, requirements,
and expectations and what is happening. Therefore, you must take
responsibility for solving it as well as any other problems that arise
in your department.