Pruetts.com

In my Dale Carnegie course tonight we talked about how to correct someone when they’ve failed to meet some expectation, or otherwise behaved inappropriately. There are five steps to this correction process, and they have to occur in order. Here’s my summary of the presentation:

1. Rapport - Do you have a healthy relationship with the person who requires correction? If there is no mutual respect, or rapport, how can you expect a positive outcome? First seek to build rapport.

2. Relate to the Problem - Don’t beat the person up over the issue. If possible, share a personal example of when you made a similar mistake. Relate the problems to something you experienced and indirectly reference their mistake for maximum results. Ask questions to clarify or to solve the issue instead of giving orders. Always remember the person isn’t under attack. Their behavior may be, but never the person.

3. Restore Confidence - Confronting our personal shortcomings is never fun - it hurts! We need to look for opportunities to help those we confront save face and keep their dignity in the face of correction. Look for opportunities to encourage and build up the person after a corrective action has been taken. Carnegie says, “Give the person a fine reputation to live up to.”

4. Reassure - Make sure you convey your confidence in the person that they are capable of making the change. In fact, assure them that you know it is an easy adjustment for them to make. Look for ways to encourage and harness the persons desire to improve to create incentive for them to change.

5. Remove - As a last resort, remove the person from the position or the company if they are unwilling to accept correction or direction. It may be that they are in the wrong seat on the bus - or it may be that they got on the wrong bus altogether. Give them the opportunity to use their strengths in an environment that can benefit greatly from them.