There are some people who are content with the status quo. Well, maybe they’re not exactly “content” but they are just not willing to take the action necessary to create a different outcome.

I think this is often due to fear of some kind. Maybe it’s fear of failure. Or fear of rejection. Sometimes it’s apathy or lethargy or it may even appear as plain old laziness. But I still think that most of the time it is based on some kind of fear. (Of course, I’m not a psychologist, and I didn’t even play one on T.V.)

You may be able to coach a person like this through the “stuckness”. You can provide encouragement, support, and resources. Personally, I’m a proponent of tough love and would ask the kind of questions that cause the person to dig deep and form their own action plans or conclusions. Agree on specific steps to be taken, with corresponding timelines so that you can hold the team member accountable.

In some cases no amount of coaching will work. There may be deeper issues at play that require a professional therapist. If the “stuckness” involves job duties that must be performed and he is basically choosing… or refusing … to perform them, then you’ve got a decision to make.

As Jim Collins says, (“Good to Great”), you want to get the right people on the bus, but you also want to have each person in the right seat on the right bus. Does this person belong on your bus? Is he a fit with the company culture and the mission, vision, and values? And if so, is this the right seat for this person?

If you determine that this is the right bus but the wrong seat for this team member, consider what options you have to move him to a more appropriate seat on the bus. What are his strengths, skills, and assets? Where would he be a better fit?

You can take the path of least resistance and let him just kick back and pick and choose his job duties, but this may not sit well with your top performers.

And make no mistake about it, everyone else on the team is watching. They’re watching you. They’re watching to see how you will handle this. Bungle it and you will likely lose the respect of other team members and possibly even erode that all-important trust you worked so hard to build.

Action Time! What will you:

• start doing,
• stop doing, or
• continue doing or do differently

to make sure you’ve got the right people in the right seats on the bus?

Use the comment box below to share your action plan and experiences with us!