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Seek Other Owners’ Advice

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to dealing with difficult employees. Many others have gone down this road. Some surveys estimate that managers spend as much as 30 percent of their time managing conflict. Why not benefit from their experience?

Learning to deal with problem employees is really no different from any other aspect of your business. Whether you’re trying to improve your marketing or customer service, you’ll always want to choose the most efficient means to your goal. A fellow owner could get you to the finish line faster, yet small-business owners seem reluctant to seek out information on personnel matters. In a survey entitled Advice and Advisors, the National Federation of Independent Business found that human resources and personnel were the two topics small business owners were least likely to seek advice about. Maybe that’s why I get so many letters from their employees.

Try a different approach. Seek other business owners’ advice while at trade association meetings. Seek out would-be mentors in personnel matters at your local chamber of commerce or alumni association meetings. Managing personnel conflicts can be a treacherous road to travel. You have no reason to go it alone.