Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

I was working with a client this week who needed to have a tough conversation with one of her employees who has not been working up to standard.

My client was nervous that she was going to say the wrong thing and that the conversation would escalate. So as we role-played it, she started off with,

"I'm sorry that we have to have this conversation, but there's something we need to talk about."

Not a good start. In effect, she was going to start off by apologizing for addressing the situation.

I helped her understand that she has nothing to be sorry about; the employee had put her in this situation by not fulfilling their obligations. It was her job to let the employee know that things had to change.

So instead, I coached her to say,

"I regret that we have to have this conversation, but we're going to have this conversation."

When you have to have a conversation like this with an employee, or any person for that matter, you need to do it from a position of politeness, but also from strength. Therefore, avoid apologizing at the outset. You need to get the problem fixed, so instead of being passive in your communication, be assertive.

Years ago I learned that the word assertive means,

"Standing up for my rights, while respecting the rights of others, acting with neutrality."

This gives you strength and control.

Teaching someone to be assertive takes time but it's part of my curriculum. If you need help, let me know. In the meantime, hope this helps you!

Last thought:

If you don't fix the situation, you are the problem, not the employee! 💪🏻

Something to Ponder:

A leader's primary role is to set clear expectations. It's impossible for employees to meet expectations they don't understand.

Something I Learned:

I have a new car with less than 5000 miles on it. My right rear tire has been slowly losing pressure for a few weeks. At first I thought it was the change in weather, but it continued. So I took it to Discount Tire and had them check it out.

They found a small nail on the inside side of the tire. There’s no fix to that, so I had to buy a new tire.

Every time I go to this place, they are AWESOME! Everyone is polite, courteous, FAST, and competent. You really notice their professionalism! 👀

I took the car in today and they put the new tire on. As always, they did a wonderful job. As I was checking out, I asked the man behind the counter how they train their staff.

He said they do in-store training, no corporate training whatsoever. "So how come everyone is so happy, and does such a great job?” I asked. “I've been coming here for 10 years and it's ALWAYS a pleasant experience.”

He said, (with a little smile on his face):

"We're in the people business, we just happen to sell tires."

This is the philosophy they teach their whole team! How would the world look if all businesses drove that message to their employees? Outstanding!

And buy your tires at Discount Tire! It's a whole new experience!