5
What Is the Specific Behavior You Want Changed?
Remember that we aren’t discussing attitude. That’s not
behavior. If it is an attitude problem, talking about the specific
behavior could reveal it and address it. For instance, addressing
poor performance (behavior) by Frank could reveal his resentment
(attitude) over what he considers unfair work assignments.
Explaining assignment rationale and sharing its long-term
benefits for the whole team could help restore acceptable
performance levels.
Here again, be specific about the behavior you want changed.
Is changing the behavior a one-step process, or might it require
many steps over a period of time? Will Frank need short-term
productivity goals that you both review weekly? Will he need
outside training on the processes or equipment critical to his job?
Think it through!
What Open-ended Question(s) Could Create Dialogue?
“Terry, we have a problem with your decision to delegate the
initial proofs. How do you see us resolving it together?” Or, “What
steps might we take to make it easier to ensure there will be no
errors in the future?” These are open-ended questions. As you’ll
learn in the next example, open-ended questions don’t put people
on the defensive. They help put both parties on a healing offensive
by encouraging dialogue — because they don’t demand only a
“yes” or “no” response.
The Counselor Role: Confrontation and CorrectionAttitude is not
behavior.