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This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
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Author
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Topic: How to deal with this stafff issue?
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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 10-08-2005 06:40 PM
Amanda,
You are making this way to hard on yourself. Make it a closing responsiblitiy to clean the room. Impress upon your staff why the room must be clean and why insect infestations are unacceptable. If you continue to have issues, then curb staff priviledges (for both staff and management) for a week or two to reinforce the point.
Amanda, teenagers are impressionable lumps of clay. By nature, they could care less about your operation - they are there to get paid. If you want them to care, you have to mold them into what you want them to be. Its hard work, but it is by no means impossible - but it will not happen on its own. From some of the other things you ahev said, I would guess that this break room issue is more a symptom of the issue rather than the issue itself.
People that want to moan and complain that you got a promotion and they did not are nothing more than cancers in your organization. Get rid of them - quickly - before their negativity and backbiting spreads. While Brad points out that personal respect must be earned, respect for the position should be, and must be, automatic if you are to have a sucessful organization. Any staff member or member of management that cannot respect your position needs to go.
Once you have cleared the bad apples and dead wood, you can get to the business of molding your people. The most effective way to do this is to instill in them a sense of pride in their theatre. Make them care. Make them beleive that they are a part of something great. Recognize their accomplishments - publically and vocally. Keep them focused on what needs to be done and WHY it is important. At the same time, you need to go to bat for your poeple whenever it is needed. Stand up for them. If they view you as someone that is looking out for them, they will return that loyalty.
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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 10-08-2005 09:33 PM
quote: John Hegel
OR you could prove to them that you got the position for a reason. Firing someone for exhibiting humanoid tendencies is a pretty pore way to treat people.
"Staff officers of inharmonious disposition, irrespective of their ability, must be removed. A staff cannot function properly unless it is a united family." - Gen. George S. Patton.
Why do I quote Patton? Simply, because he is the most effective leader this nation has produced. One thing he insisted on was harmony among his staff officers. That does not mean they were forbidden to disagree, but what is does mean is that the team was preserved and people checked their egos at the door. Those that could not were shown the door by Gen. Patton.
The situation that has been discribed is basically people who think that Amanda's job was theirs by right. They don't care if she does a good job or not, because they can't get over the feeling that she "stole" the job from them. They will cause dissent and try to sabotage her whenever they get the chance. John, your suggestion expects a rational response from people who are behaving in an irrational manner to begin with. The potential of the behavior being exhibited by these individuals to cause damage to the operation must outweigh any other concern. What some of these individual are showing John is not a base human tendancy, but rather immaturity.
quote: John Hegel
Being a good manger is way more then following the employee hand book. As Brad said ruling with an iron fist doesn’t work anymore, especially when you consider the employment structure of a movie theater. If you step back and look at the moral of your employees ask yourself why are they doing what they are doing and after you figure that out look at the real reason they are working for you. (hint only the bad ones are there for the minimum wage pay)
No one has suggested ruling with an iron fist. However, you aslo have to realize that if your goal is to make all the staff like you then you are not a good manager. Any organization that has a staff the size of a typical megaplex must have some discipline instilled within the ranks. People have to be working towards a common goal in order for the team to succeed. Using the carrot and sick analogy, you have to have both at your disposal. Managers who only use carrots will have an unruly staff. Managers that only use sticks will have a demoralized staff. Managers must not shy away from using disciplinary action when it is necessary.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 10-08-2005 09:41 PM
quote: Jim Ziegler
Respect for the position should be, and must be, automatic.
quote: Jim Ziegler
Any staff member or member of management that cannot respect your position needs to go.
quote: Jim Ziegler
Get to the business of molding your people.
quote: Jim Ziegler
Make them care.
quote: Jim Ziegler
Make them beleive.
This sort of attitude is why I would never work for you Jim. You simply can not force these sort of things on people.
quote: Jim Ziegler
Patton...blah, blah...people checked their egos at the door.
I hate to say it, but IMHO the ego problem here is with the manager. In this day and age good management leads. Managers with the sort of ego that mandates every subordinate immediately respect them, no matter how good or bad they may be at their job, have no business managing. I'm not saying that Jim is a bad manager, but the attitude he has presented here is certainly one that I would not personally work for. It's also an egotistical approach that I don't know of anyone who would be happy working under either.
quote: Jim Ziegler
They will cause dissent and try to sabotage her whenever they get the chance.
No, that's what happens when a manager, whether promoted from within the ranks or not, tries to use an iron fist (aka "forced respect") approach.
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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 10-08-2005 11:10 PM
quote: Brad Miller
This sort of attitude is why I would never work for you Jim. You simply can not force these sort of things on people.
Brad, I have to honestly ask if you read the entirity of my comments or just jumped on catch phrases. Similiar to that video floating around of the modified Shining trailer, you can grab little snipets, out of context, and change the meaning to whatever suits your end.
I never said to force anything on anyone. Motivation and disciplie and not something that can be forced, it is something the management must instill within their people. How do you do this? Primarily through training, public recognition of accomplishment, and giving people a sense of ownership and pride in the operation.
I am a firm beleiver in individuals respecting the ranks of those above them. It is absolutly necessary for any organization to maintain discipline. To use a military example, a junior officer automoatically salutes a senior officer, even if they have never met. The junior will obey any lawful order given by the superior, even though they have never met. Why? Respect for the senior's position and the chain of command that is in place. How effective would our armed forces be if the junior felt free to ignore the senior, or bad mouth the senior, because he didn't know him or didn't like him? In any business respect for the chain of command must be something instilled within everyone, from the newest concessionist all the way to the top. To allow individuals to ignore this will lead to a breakdown of the organization. Those who want to put their ego ahead of the organization should not be in the organization.
quote: Brad Miller
I hate to say it, but IMHO the ego problem here is with the manager. In this day and age good management leads. Managers with the sort of ego that mandates every subordinate immediately respect them, no matter how good or bad they may be at their job, have no business managing. I'm not saying that Jim is a bad manager, but the attitude he has presented here is certainly one that I would not personally work for. It's also an egotistical approach that I don't know of anyone who would be happy working under either.
Brad, there is a differnce between personal respect and respect for the position someone holds. Are you suggesting that it is ok to refuse the instructions of your superior because they have not earned your respect? Would you accept that behavior from someone you supervised? How sucessful will any organization be where everyone feels that doing what is asked of them is optional? How much damage and confusion can be caused by just one person who thinks they can ignore a boss they don't like? In my career I have had pleanty of bosses I didn't like. Some I outright hated. I still did what I was instructed to do.
Honestly Brad, you don't know my management style, nor could you from the limited amount of discussion thus far. I do agree with you that the roots of this problem are in management, but not for the same reasons you do.
The management at this theatre has not built in the staff the respect for the chain of command. They have not built in the staff pride in the operation. They have not built in the staff a sense of ownership. If these things were presant, they would not have this issue. If people feel pride in their theatre, they keep it clean. If they feel a sense of ownership, they won't tolerate a pest infestation. If they have respect of the chain of command and the operation, they won't be bad mouthing each other.
The challenge of management is putting in your staff the sense of pride, ownership and respect for the chain of command.
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Amanda Jones
Film Handler
Posts: 92
From: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 10-09-2005 02:11 AM
quote: Jim Ziegler
People that want to moan and complain that you got a promotion and they did not are nothing more than cancers in your organization. Get rid of them
Unfortunatly only our complex manager can fire a person. Besides I don't feel that way. Even though our company is an at will company and Indiana is an at will state we only fire employees if we have a justifiable cause to do so and we make sure we have documentation. Our number 1 reason, like probably most theaters, for firing is attendance.
quote:
They will cause dissent and try to sabotage her whenever they get the chance.
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No, that's what happens when a manager, whether promoted from within the ranks or not, tries to use an iron fist (aka "forced respect") approach.
I worked for iron fist managers and I must say I didn't respect them one bit. Now was I rude to them, treated them unkindly, didn't listen to them, slacked off because I didn't like them, etc...? No. There is a difference between manners and respect. We had an employee recently quit due to finding another job. HE HATED ME WITH A PASSION because he told another staff member and they told me. Yet he was never rude to me, did what was asked and expected of him.
I do think I've earned respect witih my employees, like I said we weeded most of the bad ones. I lead by example and also show my employees that I'm not afriad to get dirty. When they see me clean a popper or do dishes it amazes them and then the next time I work with them I see a change in them and they strive a little bit harder.
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