California Labor & Employment Law Blog

Guest Post by Joe Jotkowitz

How many of us have had employees that could have been described as “having an attitude problem?” How many of us work with people with an attitude problem? Heck, how many of us have an attitude? However, to coach someone on her attitude is usually ineffective and increases the level of confrontation, hostility, and defensiveness.

Is attitude coachable? No, however the behaviors that lead to the perception of an attitude problem are coachable.

Too many times on performance reviews or evaluations, I’ve seen the phrases:

•  “has an attitude problem”
• “not a team player”
• “just not a fit for this environment”
• “doesn’t possess the right personality for this position”

These phrases have the potential to get you in trouble with the law because they can be interpreted in a so many different ways, and they usually don’t produce the change in behavior you are seeking. To discuss someone’s attitude or personality as feedback tends to spark an emotional response. People take these terms personally. They feel as if you’re attacking their personhood as opposed to giving them feedback on their performance. So, that’s the strategy to use, focus on performance.

If you perceive some to have an “attitude” as it where, ask yourself, “What is he doing to come across that way?” In other words, “What are the behaviors?” Perhaps he’s interrupting people… or rolling his eyes… or using negative language such as “no” and “never” when you ask for his opinion… or perhaps he just doesn’t execute tasks that are a part of his job description. These are coachable items. These are behaviors.

One of the techniques you can use to think through someone’s “attitude” or “not a team player” feedback, is to ask yourself, “What did I observe.” In other words, it has to be something an employee did or did not do. These answers will fall into one of four categories:

1. Look: How did he look? (e.g., rolling his eyes)
2. Sound: How did he sound? (e.g., he interrupted people)
3. Say: What did he say? (e.g., using “no” and “never” when requests are made)
4. Did: What did he do? (e.g., not performing the duties outlined in the job description)

When giving feedback for performance reviews, be sure to focus on the performance not the person. This diffuses the potential for conflict and achieves a much more productive result. It’s all about behaviors.

Joe founded The Executive Advisory, a communications consulting firm, and currently serves as Managing Director.