Most teams have employees who lack the emotional skills to receive feedback on their job performance. Here's what to do about it.
Talking Points:
- An emotionally fragile person deflects criticism and struggles to say “I’m sorry”. If you’re tempted to “kid glove” an employee, he might be emotionally fragile.
- Failure to confront a fragile employee buries the problem in the short run but compounds it in the long run. Do this and you’ll scare away the healthy ones on your team.
- Lead a fragile employee the same way you lead others: with strength and kindness. Be clear with your praise and your criticism, and follow up on verbal communication with written summaries.
Discussion Questions:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Which of your employees is emotionally fragile? How do you know? Who else knows?
- How have you tried to lead that employee in the past? What was the outcome?
- How can you praise this employee? Make a list.
- How can you challenge this employee? Where do they need to grow? Make a list.
- What might happen if you fail to confront this employee?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
