Eliminating excuses in the workplace - tips on how managers can decrease excuse making by employees - Brief Article

Nation's Business, Sept, 1995 by M. Courtauld McBryde

If your shop's productivity suffers because employees routinely make excuses for not getting the job done, you're not alone. Employees' excuse making is one of the biggest challenges in business, according to survey responses that consultant James M. Bleech has gathered from more than 2,000 CEOs and senior executives around the country who have attended his seminars.

Bleech, chairman of the Leadership Development Center, a management consulting firm in Jacksonville, Fla., and former owner of a boat dealership, has found that excuses function as defense mechanisms against fear of being blamed, embarrassed, reprimanded, or even fired. This fear is most commonly instilled by a demanding, critical, perfectionist manager.

Bleech says that when employees make mistakes, managers must learn to turn the mistake into a learning experience to diminish fear gradually and get workers to start accepting responsibility. He recommends these steps to shrink excuse making:

* Discuss your expectations with the employee, clearly outline assigned tasks, and explain how the employee's task fits into the big picture.

* Anticipate problems by discussing what the employee will do if the job doesn't go as planned.

* Discuss with the employee where to turn if he or she needs help with the task.

* When the task is complete, discuss its success or failure. Were expectations met?

* What did the employee learn from it?

* Discuss what aspects of the task could have been done differently or more effectively--particularly if the employee failed.

For more on this topic, read Let's Get Results, Not Excuses!, co-authored by Dr. David Mutchler (Lifetime Books, Hollywood, Fla., 272 pages, $14.95). To order, call the Leadership Development Center at 1-800-659-1720.