Before facing the issue of the often tardy employee, ask yourself how (and when) you show up every day. You might not be someone who is late, but do you leave early or at odd times without letting your team know where you are going and how long you’ll be gone? Are you responsive to them when they need something from you?

When you take a look at your own shelf, you are trying to understand the context of an issue, not just the details of the issue. For instance, is it even an issue if they are late to the office? In some cases, the answer will always be yes, for hourly employees, or specific shift workers, etc. A flight attendant or pilot being late for work is much different than a salaried employee who always gets their work done on time, but who might get stuck in the drop-off line at their child’s school.

If your shelf is clean, have you taken the steps to clean the shelf with this employee? Have you had the right conversation at the right time with the right follow up?

If the answer is yes to those questions, then you know it’s no longer a matter of a goldfish memory. It is time to take the next steps.

If you answered no to one or more of those questions, then it’s time to act.

When you follow this process with everyone who is not meeting your expectations, then you will be truly be purr-fecting your skills.

S = Stray Cat Strut: Purr-Poseful Practice

Put this concept into practice this week by doing the following:

1. Make a list of all the members of your team that you directly manage.
2. For each person, write down one thing about them that you trust in, absolutely.
   1. Decide how you can express this trust to them in a way that will feel to them like a compliment out of the blue.
      1. Sally, I was just thinking about you the other day and how much I value your commitment to your job and to this company. I am so fortunate to have you on my team.
   2. Then write down one area that needs additional trust built. Remember, this exercise is just about ONE area, not 5 or 10 or a dozen. The goal is to begin somewhere, not everywhere.
   3. Go through the process of:
      1. Mirror – Self reflection on their area to strengthen.
      2. Shelf – Ask yourself what is on the shelf and identify what needs to be cleaned.
      3. Goldfish or Action? – Determine if the issue is truly important and needs to be addressed. If it is, act. If it isn’t, be a goldfish.
   4. Decide if the trust compliment can serve you in mitigating their area for improvement if that is necessary. Can you use them together to clean the shelf, to open up lines of communication and collaboration, and then move on?
      1. Sally, I was just thinking about you the other day and how much I value your commitment to your job and to this company. I am so fortunate to have you on my team.
      2. I do know that others look up to you, and I also want to discuss an area that I’d like you to focus on. You’ve been coming in late since the start of the school year, and your colleagues are noticing. How can we allow you to do what needs to be done when you take you son to school and also show the team that you value our start time?