In what feels like the thousandth season of The Bachelor we witness once more a crowd of beautiful women waiting in line for their chance to be the fiancée of a handsome professional. The women are attractive, talented and sometimes charming, but every group has a black sheep, and this season is no different than the previous ones.
The current bachelor, Jake Pavelka, has eliminated several pretty faces in his search for love. As one might expect in a house full of women, conflict arises after each rose ceremony when Jake dismisses a contestant. Vienna is the spark of controversy this season, and the other contestants become agitated as she continues to survive the elimination ceremonies. She is young and arrogant, and she continues to irritate others in her quest for Jake’s heart.
The other contestants have tried to broach the subject of Vienna’s behavior on several occasions with their bachelor, but nothing seems to shake his feelings for her. Tension continues to mount as she lures him away from the competition. Although she is hopelessly giddy around Jake, she is malicious and rude to the other contestants, which has led everyone to believe she is two-faced. The other women feel hopeless as they watch Jake continually fall for Vienna’s manipulative ways, but they know that bringing her truth to light would only speak poorly of their own characters.
This scenario plays out too frequently in offices around the globe. One negative employee manages to dilapidate all of his fellow coworkers, but no one says anything to management because they don’t want to risk seeming “unprofessional.” Employees need to be able to trust their management team enough to come to them with problems that inhibit productivity and cohesiveness.
Managers should focus on building trust-based relationships with their employees to ensure that every issue in the work environment can be appropriately addressed. When managers interact individually with each employee, they can learn who they are working with and the types of personalities they need to manage. When employees feel comfortable with management, communication will flow and issues that arise can be resolved more effectively.
Leaders should also take into account the repercussions of reprimanding a disruptive employee too soon. Managers should first gather information discreetly from multiple sources and use sound judgment to arrive at the right conclusions. They also need to protect their sources in order to address the issue without obviously revealing who brought the situation to their attention. It takes courage for employees to openly discuss problems with their leaders, and managers need to be aware that acting too soon may paint the employee who revealed the issue in a negative light. Analyzing the best way to subtly yet firmly address the problem will help managers ensure that a solution is reached without embarrassment.
Just as Vienna will manipulate her way to Jake’s heart, some employees will attempt to use others to gain promotions. Managers don’t need to hand out roses to reassure their employees that the work environment is under control, but they do need to continually practice effective communication with employees to ensure that the workplace is productive and beneficial for everyone.
For more information about effective leadership read “Leading Views: Toxic Emotions in the Workplace” and “Building Trust and Respect.”
