Time to read: 1 minute, 16 seconds
Who knew that difficult conversations could be so fun! For the past few weeks, I've received many replies and additional questions. I'll address one here in another Tips and Tricks for Difficult Conversations.
Question: How do you hold people accountable when they are late for meetings or don't deliver on tasks?
Answer: Being late for meetings and not delivering on tasks are two different things.
Handling lateness
The person leading the meeting is in charge of creating the container. Make it clear from the beginning that you start meetings on time. Then start and end on time, even if everyone isn't there. When you start on time, people learn they miss important content and will adjust accordingly.
If someone is late once, let it go. Things happen.
If someone is chronically late, pull them aside in private and be curious. "I've noticed you've come late to the last 2 meetings. We value your presence. Is something making it difficult for you to get here on time?" There may be a legitimate reason for their lateness. Be prepared to listen and perhaps make adjustments to the meeting.
When someone doesn't complete tasks
When someone is not completing tasks, you want to discern what is getting in the way.
Is there a real reason they aren't completing tasks? Like...
- A sick child
- A parent in the hospital
- Sick or out of town
- Doesn't have the skills or information needed to complete the task
In these situations, offer grace and find solutions to enable them to complete the task.
If the situation is chronic, meaning, they often don't complete tasks over a period of time or they take issue with the tasks or generally have a bad attitude, then that's a bigger conversation. Refer back to the previous week's breakdown of how to have a hard conversation.
I hope this helps!
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