Are You In The Behavior Modification Business?

My frustration level was growing with each passing moment. Sitting in front of me was a highly talented, experienced management team heatedly debating the future employment of a long tenured “productive disruptive.”  You know, that employee who routinely “brings home the bacon”, “delivers the goods” and “makes it happen while completely alienating fellow workers and vendors.    Now years of resentment and acrimony came seething to the surface as his past foibles, both large and small, were resurfaced by team members for public debate once again. Using the EOS People Analyzer Tool the team had quickly identified the root cause of their frustration.  This high producer was clearly out of alignment with their firm’s stated value of “Work for the Greater Good.” His past decisions and behaviors clearly indicated his strong desire to control information and avoid accountability.  He rudely dismissed as “unprofessional meddling” his colleagues’ suggestions for improvement.  Do you see this picture?  My sense is your team probably even has its own “productive disruptive.”  Sad yet true.

             Suddenly, I found myself blurting out, “OK, enough! Just answer one question — Are you in the behavior modification business?” 

“Of course not”, the CEO spoke first, “that’s a silly question.”  He was clearly annoyed at such a simple question. “Well,’ I replied, “it sure sounds like it to me.  This team has spent the last 20 minutes discussing how to get your  "problem child” to change his behavior using incentive plans, write-ups and warnings.”  I paused. Slowly I saw the glow of understanding sweep across team member’s faces. One member quietly spoke up, “I get it. We have the wrong person in the right seat.  He is perfectly skilled for the position.  He gets it; he wants it and obviously has more than enough capacity to do an exceptional job.  Yet he is clearly not living our values.  He is out of sync with our culture. Sadly, we need to work out an exit strategy for him.”  There was silent agreement in the room.  For no matter how hard they had tried, they realized that they were unable to get this zebra to change his strips.  They had tried and failed repeatedly. It was a lesson hard learned that would serve the team well in the years ahead.  So, ask yourself, “Is a “productive disruptive” forcing you and your team into the behavior modification business?”  How’s that working out?