How to Handle Difficult Employees | Turn the Unproductive into the Productive

Summary

In this motivational video, Greg Winter emphasizes the importance of holding low-performing staff accountable in a business environment. He shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the consequences of leniency and stresses the need for owners and executives to demand results from their employees. Winter argues that tolerating subpar performance not only affects the company's bottom line but also erodes morale and undermines the respect for leadership. He advocates for a 'tough love' approach to ensure productivity and maintain a healthy work culture.

Takeaways

• 😠 Being 'unreasonable' with low-performing staff is sometimes necessary for the health of the business.
• 🕒 Chronic tardiness and absenteeism can disrupt the workflow and require others to compensate for the lack of productivity.
• 💪 As a leader, it's crucial to demand performance from staff members that matches their compensation.
• 🏈 A personal story from high school football illustrates the importance of holding oneself accountable and improving performance.
• 👩‍💼 Anecdote of a staff member showing up unprepared highlights the need for immediate and firm corrective action.
• 💼 The concept of 'tough love' is introduced as a management strategy to ensure staff meet their job responsibilities.
• 💼 Employees are expected to produce a certain output, which is essential for the company's operations and customer satisfaction.
• 📉 Allowing low productivity can lead to increased costs, decreased morale, and negatively impact the company's financial health.
• ⏳ New hires typically have a probationary period to prove their worth, but prolonged underperformance is not acceptable.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Leaders who are lenient with low producers risk losing the respect of their team and can affect overall team dynamics.
• 💰 Being soft on low production can have personal financial implications for the business owner, affecting their family and future.

Q & A

Why should business owners or executives be 'unreasonable' with low-producing staff members?

Business owners or executives should be 'unreasonable' with low-producing staff because one underperforming employee can require additional resources and effort from others to compensate for their lack of productivity, which can negatively impact the overall efficiency and morale of the team.

What is the significance of the speaker's high school football story in the context of the speech?

The high school football story illustrates the importance of holding oneself accountable for performance and adapting to challenges. It serves as a metaphor for how employees should rise to meet expectations and not make excuses for subpar performance.

What was the consequence for the speaker when he fell during a football game?

When the speaker fell during a football game, his coach threatened to replace him with someone who could perform better under the given conditions, which motivated the speaker to improve and never fall again.

How did the speaker handle a staff member who showed up to work in a disheveled state?

The speaker confronted the staff member about their appearance and unpreparedness, gave them an ultimatum to either get ready for work or face being replaced, and the issue never recurred.

What is the 'tough love' approach mentioned in the script, and why is it important?

The 'tough love' approach refers to the strict and firm handling of employees who are not meeting performance standards. It is important because it ensures that all team members contribute equally and maintains a high standard of productivity and accountability.

Why is it detrimental to a business to tolerate low-producing staff members?

Tolerating low-producing staff members can lead to increased workload for others, decreased morale, and potential financial losses. It also sets a poor example for the rest of the team and can lead to a decline in overall business performance.

What is the speaker's view on the timeline for new hires to prove their productivity?

The speaker believes new hires should prove their productivity within 30 days, but they may be given up to 90 days if they are showing progress in the right direction.

What does the speaker suggest is the role of an owner or executive in managing staff productivity?

The speaker suggests that the role of an owner or executive is to ensure that employees are producing the required outcomes and meeting their job responsibilities, which is crucial for the success and profitability of the business.

How does the speaker feel about the impact of leniency towards low-producing employees on the business's financial health?

The speaker believes that being lenient towards low-producing employees can lead to financial losses, as it effectively means paying multiple employees to do the work that should be done by one, which can affect the business's profit margins.

What is the potential long-term consequence for an owner who is too lenient with underperforming staff?

The potential long-term consequence includes reduced business growth, decreased employee respect for leadership, and impacts on the owner's personal financial situation, such as the ability to fund their children's education or retirement.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Holding Staff Accountable for Performance

Greg Winteregg emphasizes the importance of being firm with underperforming staff members. He argues that a single underperforming employee can significantly impact a business, requiring additional resources to compensate for their lack of productivity. Winteregg shares a personal anecdote from his high school football days to illustrate the point that being accountable for one's role is crucial. He also recounts a professional experience where he had to address an employee's unprofessional behavior and poor performance. The key takeaway is that as a business owner or executive, it's essential to demand the expected output from employees and not tolerate subpar performance, as it can lead to a domino effect of inefficiency and decreased morale.

05:02

👔 The Consequences of Soft Leadership on Productivity

In this paragraph, Winteregg discusses the repercussions of leniency towards low-performing employees. He points out that such an approach can lead to a breakdown in the workflow, as other employees may have to compensate for the lack of productivity of their colleagues. This not only affects the business's bottom line but also erodes the respect of the team towards leadership. Winteregg stresses that as a leader, it's crucial to ensure that team members meet their production goals and that empathy should not compromise the standards of performance. He concludes by stating that being soft on non-productive behavior is financially detrimental, potentially affecting the owner's personal life and the company's future. The message is clear: leaders must prioritize productivity and hold their team accountable to maintain a successful and efficient business environment.

Keywords

💡Unreasonable

In the context of the video, 'unreasonable' refers to the strict and firm stance a business owner or executive must take when dealing with underperforming staff. It emphasizes the need for high standards and not tolerating subpar performance. The speaker uses this term to convey that being lenient with low producers can be detrimental to the business, as it sets a poor example and affects overall productivity.

💡Low producing staff

This term is used to describe employees who consistently fail to meet the performance standards expected of them. The video argues that such staff members can negatively impact a business by creating additional work for others and lowering overall efficiency. An example given is someone who is habitually late or makes excuses for poor performance.

💡Tough love

Tough love is a concept where a leader or manager enforces strict discipline or standards, even if it seems harsh, for the ultimate benefit of the individual or team. In the video, the speaker advocates for this approach when dealing with staff who are not meeting expectations, suggesting it can lead to improved performance and a more efficient workplace.

💡Production

Production in this video refers to the output or results that an employee is expected to deliver as part of their job. It is a key metric for evaluating employee performance and is central to the speaker's argument that employees must be held accountable for their contributions to the business. The video stresses that production is not just about being present but about delivering quality work.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the responsibility that employees have to perform their duties and be answerable for their actions. The video underscores the importance of holding staff accountable for their performance, suggesting that without it, a business cannot function efficiently. It is tied to the concept of production, as employees are expected to produce results that align with their job responsibilities.

💡Morale

Morale refers to the mental and emotional state of the workforce, which can be significantly affected by how management handles performance issues. The video suggests that tolerating low production can erode morale, as other employees may feel it's unfair that they have to compensate for the shortcomings of their colleagues.

💡Profit and loss statement

The profit and loss statement is a financial report that summarizes a company's revenues, costs, and expenses during a specific period. In the video, the speaker mentions this to illustrate how low production can directly impact a company's financial health, as it may lead to increased costs and reduced revenue.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. While the video acknowledges the importance of empathy in leadership, it also stresses the need for a balance. Leaders should be understanding of personal circumstances but cannot let empathy compromise the production standards of the business.

💡Non-production

Non-production refers to the lack of output or results from an employee's work. The video argues against rewarding non-production, as it can lead to a culture where effort and results are not valued, ultimately harming the business. The speaker uses this term to highlight the consequences of not addressing underperformance.

💡Performance standards

Performance standards are the levels of quality or quantity of work that are expected from employees. The video discusses the necessity of having clear and high performance standards and holding staff to these standards. It uses the example of a football coach's expectations of a player to illustrate the importance of meeting set standards.

Highlights

The importance of being 100% unreasonable with low-producing staff members for business owners and executives.

The necessity of demanding performance from staff members commensurate with their pay.

The negative impact of tolerating underperformance, such as additional workload for others.

A personal anecdote from high school football about learning to perform under pressure.

The coach's tough love approach that led to improved performance and no further mistakes.

An example of addressing unprofessional behavior by a staff member and the subsequent change.

The concept of 'tough love' in management and its role in ensuring productivity.

The financial implications of low productivity, including the cost of additional labor to compensate.

The importance of each staff member's role in a production chain and the cascading effect of one person's underperformance.

The expectation that new hires should quickly adapt and perform within a set timeframe.

The consequences of leniency in leadership and its effect on staff respect and morale.

The responsibility of executives and owners to ensure the productivity of their teams.

The potential long-term effects of being soft on low production, including impacts on personal finances and family.

The speaker's emphasis on the importance of empathy and sympathy while maintaining a firm stance on production standards.

The call to action for owners and executives to be decisive and address low productivity issues promptly.

The applause and musical conclusion signifying the end of the presentation.

Transcripts

today i'm going to cover exactly why you

as an owner

or executive over an area need to be 100

unreasonable with low producing staff

members

hey everybody greg winter egg here

welcome back to the channel be sure to

subscribe hit that notification bell so

you don't miss any of the awesome

content

that we are pumping out three times a

week

now today i'm going to

speak to you like straight from the

heart

owner to owner business owner to

executive

manager over an area i'm sorry

but there's times when you have to be

tough and when you have

a low producing staff member somebody

who's

not performing at the level that they

are being paid to perform at

someone who is chronically five minutes

late

15 minutes late children are sick

dog is sick their car won't start i mean

there's

you know the list of excuses as to why

someone

can't produce you just can't tolerate it

one person like that in your business

it takes four or five people to

clean up the mess to get the production

that you're paying them to get

so here's the point you are paying

somebody to do a job

and as the owner or the executive over

that area

you must demand that they get the

product of that job

or they can't be there i'm going to tell

you a story i learned this lesson

actually my freshman year of high school

football so

we're out there it's it's august we're

doing two a day practices you know

run wind sprints until you puke and we

work hard to get on to the team

and i was playing cornerback that's on

defense

all right i generally cover a receiver

there's one game it had been raining

all day the field was a muddy mess

and the my man comes out he makes a cut

i plant my foot i fall on my face and my

man catches the ball

right in front of the coach i pick

myself up off the ground and he's right

on my face he's like wondering that was

your man

i'm like yeah i know coach but it's wet

out here he was

right in my face mask will you figure

out how to stand up or

i'm gonna find somebody who can and i'm

telling you

i didn't fall down again because i'm not

running wind sprints till i barf

to watch somebody else play my position

standing on the sideline

and i figured it out i never fell down

again and my man

never caught another ball so here's the

point

i had a staff member once who showed up

exactly the way i describe it here on a

monday morning

hungover uniform top inside out and

backwards i'm looking at the tab

no makeup i don't care about that but

the hair was just a disaster

i called her back into my office i'm

like what is up with you well i had a

fight

blah blah blah my boyfriend i'm like

listen you go home and you get yourself

ready to work

or i'm going to find somebody who can

show up time ready to work

never happened again so here's the point

you can call it tough love you could

call it whatever

you want to call it but just take a look

at it from this viewpoint

you are paying somebody a certain salary

or a certain

dollar amount to get a product to get an

end result something then that can be

exchanged with the customer or something

then even within the company that

they have to do their job so somebody

else can do theirs and so

a has to do their job so b can do theirs

well if a doesn't do their job

then b has to come back and do a's job

now you're paying two people

you're paying b and a to do a's job

this is not only criminal to

a degree i'm talking about just

completely destroying

morale it destroys the numbers on the

profit and loss statement

it it is and it's rewarding someone for

non-production

it's rewarding a when b has to come over

and do a's job now of course when a is

first hired

a has 90 days to figure it out actually

i prefer they figure it out in 30 days

but if they're moving in the right

direction then i'll give them 90.

but i have many clients who like if they

if they can't pick it up in two weeks

i'm kind of done

so you have to be very very unreasonable

as an owner about this point

we have client after client after client

they've given them not just three months

they've given them

six months three years six years

well they're just not skilled in that

area but you're paying them to do that

so listen the other staff are not going

to respect

that kind of leadership b is not going

to respect

you as a leader when you know

a is not doing their job a is soft

a can't show up to work on time and b is

not going to be happy with you

if they have to constantly go back and

do a's job

because when b is doing a's job b is not

doing

b's job and so then c can get upset with

b

because now c is doing b's job because i

mean

come on i don't i don't need to be any

more clearer than this

so listen here's the point

as an owner or a manager of people it is

your job

to get them to produce and

it's fine to have empathy and sympathy

for certain circumstances

but you cannot be soft on production

so at the end of the day you as an

executive are getting paid to get the

employees under you

to work and get the end result as an

owner if you're being soft

unreasonable on this non-production

you're taking money out of your pocket

out of your family's pocket this could

end up determining where your kids go to

school and

if or when you retire so

there's nothing good that's going to

happen in the end

by being soft on low production

[Applause]

[Music]

you