Transcript Legal Update - IPMA-HR

Toxic Employees
Toxic Work Environments
What You DKDK
PRESENTED BY:
MAURICIO A. VELÁSQUEZ, MBA
PRESIDENT, CEO
THE DIVERSITY TRAINING GROUP
692 PINE STREET, HERNDON, VA, 20170
[email protected]
ipma-hr.org
Meet Mauricio Velásquez, MBA
Mauricio Velásquez is the President of The Diversity Training Group (DTG) in
Herndon, VA. Mauricio serves as a diversity & inclusion trainer, sexual
harassment prevention trainer, executive coach, mentoring trainer, employee
engagement consultant, and expert witness. Former IRS demographer.
DTG’s clients include small and large, federal, state and local government
agencies. A partial list includes NIH, NIST, DOJ, Town governments of Vienna,
and Herndon, VA, Washington, DC, Superior Courts, US Navy, Maryland State
Highway Administration and in the past even the White House.
DTG also does a great deal of work in the private sector with Metropolitan
Washington Airport Authority, Exelis and The University of Virginia, to name a
few. Bringing you the best of public and private sectors.
Mauricio has trained in every state but North Dakota, work and life have taken
him to over 70 countries and he has trained more than three quarters of a
million participants in his 25-plus year career.
Holds a BA from UVA and an MBA from GWU.
Agenda Today
Understand the toxic employee
Understand the toxic work environment
 Relationship between Toxicity, Engagement and
High Performance
 Toxicity and Trust
 Learn how to deal with toxic employees and toxic
work environments
 Build a tool kit/skill kit and plan of action
About Toxic Employees, Environments
What You Don’t
Know You Don’t
Know
(DKDK)
What You
Don’t Know
(DK)
What You Know
(K)
We all mean well but…
Intent
(What you meant to say)
MEAN TO DO
vs.
Impact
(What you actually said)
ACTIONS/RESULTS
ACTIONS have CONSEQUENCES
How did I come up with this topic?
 I have specialized in “hostile audiences” during my
twenty five years as a trainer & change agent
 As a Sexual Harassment Prevention Trainer
 As a Diversity Trainer and Expert Witness
 Most recently as an Executive Coach where I am
asked “…Please meet with him/her 1:1 all day,
coach this person (do what you do in your workshop
with one of our people) and tell us whether we fire
or keep him/her!”
 Why is this topic so popular?
Why is this topic so popular?
In The News - Everyday
 Shootings everywhere – Toxicity gone wild
 Congress, politics
 Bad economy (insecurity, ambiguity)
 Economic times make employers do crazy
things
 They have always been this way – no surprise, no
change – “accept me”


People “don’t say anything”
Toxic person is the “last to know” – who me?
 “People allowed to be awful” – most important –
organization often knew
My Favorite Toxic Participants
 “I will take anybody but that guy Mauricio”
 “I don’t give a flying (blank) what this is
not interested!”
about, I am
 My “Alaskan Moment of Truth”
 “You can’t train all of us, some of us you will have to kill!”
(one of my favorite emails)
 “You must be a *%$#$ Jew!” (my favorite email)
Mauricio’s Mission
 Provoke Thought
 Facilitate Discussion and Learning
 Surprise You/Entertain You - Edutain
 Add Value
 Provide Subject Matter Expertise
 Make it interactive and “harness talent
in this room”
 #1 Ground Rule: PARTICIPATE - Ask
Questions!!!
Toxic Employee
 When you hear the phrase - “toxic
employee” what pops into your head?
Toxic Employee
 Always unhappy and negative but they don’t
keep their misery to themselves.
 Why? Because misery loves company!
 Body language tells it all
 Glass is always half empty
 Incredible memory – remembers stuff from
years ago
 Love to say “Not my job!”
 Recruit people to “join them, share their views”
 Always “looking for proof”
TE is always looking “for proof”
Stereotypes: All of us must begin to address and minimize the many
stereotypes that exist within our organization.
HOW WE BUILD
STEREOTYPES
R
T
E
S
O
E
S
Y
E
Group/Categorize/Label T
P
Form opinion (judge); always negative
Look for “proof”
Examples: “See, I told you so.”
“You’re not like the rest of them.”
“You’re the exception to the rule.”
HOW WE BREAK DOWN
STEREOTYPES
Does the comment hold
true for everyone in the
group?
T
S
T
R
E
E
O
S
Y
P
E
Does the comment reflect knowledge, skills, or
abilities necessary to complete the job?
Is the person thought of as part of a group first rather
than as an individual?
Do your past experiences with members of this
person’s group affect the interaction?
Diversitydtg.com
Toxic Employee (Continued)
 Can also be bigoted – negativity is projected towards a
particular group – gender, race, age, sexual orientation,
religion, management or new management
 Can be a bully – big, loud, angry (back of my mind –
potential for violence in the workplace)
 Always recruiting!.... Always approach new hires
 “Let me tell you who to watch out for! You with
me?”
 “Get that smile of your face – don’t you know where
you work? Slow it down. You are making the rest
of us look bad!” (Encourage mediocrity!)
 Ultimate risk - sabotage
Toxic Work Environment
 When you hear the phrase - “toxic work
environment” what pops into your head?
TE “Poisons” the work environment
 First – we all know who they are!
 But what do we do about them?
 Send
them to individual 1:1 coaching or
 Train everyone – “dip everybody” and sometimes the
TE does not even show up
 Or do nothing until something happens – what I call a
“moment of truth”
 Too many organizations contact us with a reactionary
posture or “a real sense of urgency”
 Don’t wait – sometimes it is too late
 Ignoring these issues/this person – does not mean they
go away!
The Perfect Toxic Storm
 Toxic employee or manager is a bully (well known)
 They have a false sense of security – they have never
been challenged
 How does TE interpret silence of peers?
 Peers are avoiders of conflict or they expect
“Manager to do something!” BUT
Manager is not skilled to deal with TE
 Could be a “Reluctant Manager”
 Manager is the smartest and promoted for their expertise
but they don’t have the interpersonal/human relations
skills = DKDK and they MEAN WELL

What does all of this toxicity have in
common?
What DTG keeps coming across..





Massive Conflict Avoidance!
No cost-benefit analysis – cost of doing nothing was not
calculated
If we deny the issues exist – prolongs issues
If we look the other way – these issues go away by
themselves or
If we look the other way – these issues will just “work
themselves out”
Total break down in trust
These issues don’t go away, they fester, they escalate!
What is TRUST?
Trust Defined
“Trust means confidence. The opposite of trust is
suspicion. When you trust people, you have
confidence in them – in their integrity, and in their
abilities.
When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them
– of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities or
their track record.”
S.M.R. Covey
Toxic Individuals are often suspicious and spread
suspicion throughout their ranks and create and
nurture and welcome long time unresolved conflict
because it “maintains the toxicity.”
Toxicity and Trust Go “Hand in hand”
Stephen M. R. Covey – in his book: The Speed of Trust
talks about Trust - Taxes and Dividends
When there is high trust – there is an actual dividend for
this trust – tasks, work, progress, cooperation,
collaboration - success is easier
When there is low or nonexistent trust – there is an
actual tax – tasks, work, is harder, indifference, bogged
down, sabotage
Toxic individuals and toxic workplaces thrive in low trust
organizations…. (rest of us suffer)
Economics of Trust/Toxicity
The toxicity affects all those “around the toxicity”….
Quality of Task Cost of Task
High Trust
Organization
Low Trust
Organization
* Toxic individuals are often not fully engaged in their work
Toxicity and Engagement
Toxic Environments
 Demotivating
 Disengagement is
norm
 Active disengagement
is encouraged
 Allow unresolved
conflict to fester
 Low performing
 Lo to nonexistent trust
 Can never be “World
Class”
Healthy Environments
 Motivating
 Engagement is norm
 Active engagement is
role modeled
 Identify and address
conflict
 High performing
 Hi trust
 Can become “World
Class”
The interplay
Respect and
Value Each
Other
Confront
Toxicity, Build
Trusting
Relationships
Be More
Engaged
Perform at
Higher Level
Toxicity & Engagement & Trust
With Organization
With Manager
(trust)
(feel valued)
High
Performance
Strategic Alignment
(clear goals,
strategy)
Competency
(you got what it
takes)
Three Levels of Engagement
 ENGAGED (leading, doing, inspiring others, +)
 NOT ENGAGED (checked out, marginally toxic, -)
 ACTIVELY DISENGAGED (highly toxic, very -)
Think of your organization…
What percentage of your employees are
engaged ( ),
not engaged ( ),
actively disengaged( )?
(
Employee Engagement Key to Creating a
World Class Organization & Toxicity
Source: Gallup Consulting
So how do we create a more…
Effective
Respectful
Trusting
Highly Engaged
…work environment and workplace
culture?
Or, a less Toxic Workplace?
Engaging Your Employees – Building
Trust, Addressing Toxicity
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
Find out what motivates your direct reports
Hire and keep people who are good at their work
Get people working on what’s important
Explain and train
Let people work
Be generous with praise and show it
Expect excellence
Care about people and show it
Treat employees with respect
Lead by example
Build around your mission and core values and hold all
accountable
Trust Commitment Contract (Anti-toxic)
1) I will make an effort to find out what motivates
2)
3)
4)
5)
each of my direct reports.
I will give employees frequent, positive
feedback and appreciate constructive criticism.
I will take the time to listen carefully to people’s
ideas, stories, opinions and concerns.
I will show support for our goals and objectives
and explain them to my staff.
I will show support and enthusiasm for my
subordinates.
SIGN_________________ (share)
Trust Commitment Contract continued
6) I will recognize the signs of stress and
overload in myself and in the people I
manage.
7) I will encourage people to come up with new
ideas and ways to approach a project.
8) I will offer everyone on my team
opportunities to learn and grow at work.
9) I will promote a diversity of values, opinions,
and work styles and believe these are
essential to business and work success.
10) I will speak up and hold all accountable.
SIGN_______________(share)
Now for Specific Tools
 I want to give you, build you a tool kit,
a skill kit
 These tools work if you use them!
Approach is Key
PERSON
SEPARATE
BEHAVIOR
Start-Stop Coaching Technique
Start with a Positive
Please stop__________________________
(describe negative/unproductive behavior)
Start______________________________
(describe new, more appropriate/positive behavior)
Continue___________________________
(describe ongoing positive behavior)
End with a Positive
I- Message Coaching Statement
(Start with a Positive)
When you ___________________, I feel ___________________
(describe behavior)
(impact of behavior)
I would prefer ________________________________________
(new behavior – more appropriate/productive)
OR
I feel _____________________, when you _________________
(impact of behavior)
(describe behavior)
I would prefer ________________________________________
(new behavior – more appropriate/productive)
OR
When I see ____________, it makes me feel ________________
(describe behavior)
(impact of behavior on you/group)
I would prefer ________________________________________
(new behavior – more appropriate, more productive)
(End with a Positive)
Addressing Conflict – Builds Trust
Conflict is just a problem to be solved
Step
?
Action
Example
Identify and agree on
the problem
(consensus) Ask the
right questions.
 Ask for the facts
 Verify the information
 Decide what else you need to know
 “Help me understand exactly”
 “Let me make sure this is recorded
correctly”
 “I will be able to help you better if I
know…”
Conduct problemcause analysis to
identify a specific
problem and its cause
 Restate the problem in simple terms
 Get agreement on the problem and
its importance/impact
 “So, the basic issue is…”
 “It seems we agree it is important to
fix this because…”
Identify
solutions/alternatives
 Ask what can be done to solve the
problem
 Suggest other options for
consideration
 Tell them what you can do
 “What ideas do you have on how this
can be fixed?”
 “In similar situations we have..”
 “I really wish we could do exactly
what you suggested. However,
according to…, we must…”
Steps of Problem-Solving
Step
Action
Example
Implement solutions/take
action with the help of the
customer
 Ask for their cooperation
 Tell them what you will do
 Suggest how they can help, now
and the next time
 “I’ll need your help to…”
 “Here is what I can do…”
 “To get this resolved quickly,
I’ll need you to…, and if this
should happen again, please…”
End with an agreement and a
thank you. Monitor and follow
up on the situation
 Summarize what will be done,
and by whom
 Thank the customer for
cooperation and help
 Promise to follow up to ensure
the solution really worked
 “Can I assume that we agree
on…?”
 “Thank you for being so
cooperative in helping us to
solve this problem.”
 “I will call you in a week to be
sure the situation is resolved.”
My Favorite Quote….
 What I love to say to people who I
coach ….
“You cannot talk yourself out
of what you behaved your way
into”
- Stephen Covey
In Closing….
Ultimately it comes down to this one point
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY – we all have a shared
responsibility, a responsibility to each other, to hold
each other accountable and to be the best we can be.
Say to each other - “I can’t be successful without you.
We are all in this together!”
40
Action Plan
 How can I create a more productive
and less toxic work environment?
 How can I use what I have learned
in this class in my organization and
beyond?
THANK YOU!
FOR……..
YOUR TIME
YOUR CONSIDERATION
and your
PARTICIPATION
“If you loved the session – tell everybody
you know about it. If you didn’t like the
class – keep it to yourself!”
For more information…
CONTACT:
The Diversity Training Group
692 Pine Street
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel. 703.478.9191
Fax 703.709.0591
[email protected]
Mauricio Velásquez, MBA – President, CEO