How do I manage a difficult employee?

A member of my sales staff, who has been with the company for five years now, has recently developed an off-hand manner when asked to go for stretch targets. This culminated in them abruptly ending a conversation, swearing at me, and leaving the office. They are well remunerated, easily in line with the competition, consistently make a bonus, and had always attempted to extend themselves before now. I was shocked by the reaction and suspect there is something more to it. I don’t want to lose them as they have been one of my top salespeople for the past three years. But, equally, I won’t tolerate such behaviour, especially in front of other staff. When I tried talking to them they grudgingly apologised, but this has happened twice now. What’s the best way to deal with it so I can keep the morale of the rest of the sales team high, retain authority and not lose a significant salesperson?

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A. Judith Germain writes:

It is not an uncommon situation to have someone who has been a peak performer suddenly changing their behaviour so that their performance becomes variable. Before you can do anything else, you need to try to find the reason behind their transformation.

The first thing to consider is whether there has been a change in their work or personal circumstances. Has there been a structural change to the business or their role? Perhaps they are now being rewarded in a different way, for example. It seems clear that something has happened that is significantly affecting your salesperson, and this should be explored with them in a sensitive way.

The best approach to take is to have an open and transparent conversation with them. Discover what has changed for them and see what can be done to help them become more comfortable with it or how they are dealing with it. During that conversation you need to ensure they understand that their behaviour is disrespectful and unacceptable.

It is also important that during the meeting they understand that there are consequences to their behaviour, and that you will follow through on it. You must give them a compelling reason to change and find out how you can deliver on their needs.

The rest of the sales team, meanwhile, need to see that you consider the behaviour of the salesperson to be unacceptable, and that you are dealing with it. For example, if they swear at you in front of the staff, you should publicly and calmly tell the person that it is unacceptable and take them to another location to deal with it.

Treat the salesperson fairly but firmly, and your sales team will respect you for it. A team meeting that addresses the working environment may help to bring any unspoken reservations that your sales staff may be harbouring to the surface.