How Leaders Handle the Most Difficult Situations at Work

Although there are great rewards as well, leaders know how challenging it can get at times. There are so many things under your control, and you are accountable and responsible for both your successes and your failures. However, one of the most challenging aspects of being a manager is dealing with conflict and other difficult situations at the office.

The top challenging situations at the office require lots of tact, diplomacy, compliance with company procedures, and people skills to defuse a potential conflict. We are talking about conflicts that could undermine office morale and create sides and the unspoken feeling that you should be taking sides (us vs. them). A skilled manager will always solve things in a manner which is fair to everyone and protects the core interests of the organization.

Dealing with Unethical Behavior

The unethical behaviour we are talking about here is not when someone actively undermines the organization’s interests by leaking confidential information. We are talking about people doing unethical things, thinking that they are actually benefiting the company and improving their productivity. The recent scandal at Wells Fargo Bank, where many employees created fake accounts to reach their sales targets, is such an example.

A manager needs to enforce ethical behaviour not just in difficult situations but every day. When this situation occurs, you should be very transparent about your decisions and show your team why you took the respective actions and how to prevent such situations from happening again.

Budget Cuts

Rumours will be running around even before you have to communicate your decision to lay off several team members. Most likely, several employees will approach you in confidence, asking whether they could be affected by a budget cut.

In a difficult situation, you should demonstrate your ethics (see above) because you should not favour any employee over others. Even if you are not bound by confidentiality to keep the future decision to yourself until the right moment to disclose it, you should not give anyone information individually that you are not prepared to share collectively.

A Valued Employee Leaves the Company

Some employees seem to be the heart and soul of a company. They come up with creative ideas, have an extensive network and have the talent to bring people together and create flourishing teams. When such a person leaves the company to pursue other professional challenges, this could potentially tear apart the team. Low morale and motivation could undo in months what your organization has achieved in years.

At this moment, you should step in and act as the new binding element for the team, inspiring them with your enthusiasm and dedication. As a leader, you are responsible for maintaining a positive attitude in the office while you look for a replacement for the employee who left the company.

Enforcing Policies with the Risk of Losing a Valued Employee

This is the reverse side of the situation above. Sadly, some professionals start believing that they are “like air” for a company and irreplaceable because they do an amazing job. And they go ahead and breach a company policy. It could be anything from using work equipment for personal reasons to cheating on the expense report.

At this moment, no matter how much you believe the company needs this person, you have to let them go. Doing otherwise sends two wrong signals to the rest of the team: that the employee is genuinely untouchable (and they could grow into an office bully) and that rules can be broken if you are good at your work.