How should you react when asked to play Solomon?
How should you – as an owner or store manager – react when asked to play Solomon? I’ve discussed this before but I feel it bears repeating. If there are conflicts between employees, it is bound to affect your customers and the service they receive.
So again: How should you react when asked to play Solomon? It happens. Points of contention develop and often escalate until they finally reach the person in charge. When that happens, remember that there is a process for every situation.
I’ve listed some ideas below for clearing up misunderstandings and reducing tension among the troops. If issues aren’t resolved, they can disrupt the cohesiveness of your staff and will most likely affect your bottom line.
On-going issues are difficult to resolve by e-mail. This means you either pick up the phone or schedule a quick meeting. It’s generally best to schedule a meeting rapidly to prevent further misunderstandings.
Build a reasonable path forward: Be careful not to over-promise and under-deliver. Develop reasonable next steps or actions that can include short-term wins for all parties involved.
Instead of saying "No," say "Not now": Sometimes it’s tempting to just say no. But a better approach is to say "not now, but it’s something we can look at in the future."
Be the honey, not the vinegar: It’s easier to resolve issues if you remain calm and polite rather than confrontational (no matter how tempting it is). Use as much humor, optimism and enthusiasm as you can muster. Yelling or using intimidation might work in the short term – after all, you ARE the owner or manager. But in the long term it will undermine the trust and loyalty of your employees.
Don’t throw people under the bus, and don’t let your staff do it: Blame is not productive. And generally, one person is seldom solely responsible for a problem. There may have been a misunderstanding and/or incomplete information or instructions given. Whatever the reason, the important thing is to make corrections and move forward. There is absolutely no benefit in shooting the messenger or pointing fingers.
Remember – With a little bit of effort, you can always find a process for every issue without resorting to emotion in order to counter emotion.
Talk to you soon. ~Norma