The 27 Challenges Managers Face

Chapter FiveThe Challenges of Managing Attitudes

If you are like most managers, you avoid dealing with employee attitude problems, even though you know that employee attitudes matter a lot. Attitude affects productivity, quality, and morale. It also has a huge impact on collegiality, cooperation, and cohesion. It can be the difference between employees embracing or rejecting development opportunities. Attitude can make the difference between retention and turnover. Good attitudes drive positive results. Bad attitudes put a drag on results.

So why do most managers avoid dealing with bad attitudes? Avoid it, that is, until they can no longer be avoided? By then it is too late, and the conversation is doomed to become a difficult confrontation. ...