18 - Long Live the Consequence!
50 Years, 50 Lessons
Lesson 18: Long Live The Consequence!
I am coaching a lot of business owners right now who fear holding people accountable for their less-than-desirable behavior.
“Good people are hard to find…they will never change…they are just not good at that…I can keep doing it for them…” are some of the things I hear.
And that’s fine. If you own a business or are trying to raise a child, you can decide all you want where your time goes in relation to others. You can overservice your customers, tolerate late cancellations, and give time away for free. Go nuts. But without consequences, you can’t complain about how these poor behaviors impact you.
Enabling undesirable behavior is a lose-lose. Lose for you as the behavior remains your problem, and lose for them as they never learn.
Some consequences are active, and some are passive. It’s important to know the difference.
Active Consequences
Active consequences are the ones you make and enforce. They are you as bad-cop, meanie, or asshole as you hold people to the standard you have set. Errors in your report? The report is delayed, and the pay for that report is reduced.
Passive Consequences
Passive consequences are the natural kind. They are the ones that just happen when one thing impacts another. Miss your pay cut-off? Sorry, the pay has been processed. Wait until next month.
Consequences are important in business and in life. Some systems just don’t care if you follow the rules or not; the consequences are your deterrent. In rehab, we could provide service without an approved treatment plan, but the passive consequence was “no plan, no pay.” So, we followed the rules.
To set people up for success, you need to set expectations before you enforce consequences. I am a big advocate for expectations being in agreements and policies. These need to be CLEAR. If I am signing an agreement that outlines my billing expectations, and I don’t follow them? I know what to expect. And the business owner had better enforce the outcome indicated, or I will see the rules as loose and the boundaries weak. Onward, my poor behavior spirals.
Coaching Thoughts
What consequences do you need to enforce, and for what?
Where are your expectations unclear, or need to be tidied?
Who follows your rules well and should be celebrated?
How can you align consequences with your own values so you get the behavior you want without stepping outside your leadership ideals?
Your turn:
What was a consequence that really worked for you or one you enforced that stopped an undesirable behavior?
To All: Thank you for being on this journey with me – past, present, and future.
Julie
