Full Description

Every day, managers find themselves wondering what to do about Joe. That is, “Joe is a brilliant employee, a visionary. But no one can work with him because he's so unapproachable.” What do they do?

High-Maintenance Employees is the first book to give managers detailed guidance on how to get the best out of high-maintenance high-performers--visionary employees who are difficult to keep on track. Kathi Graham-Leviss has spent the last 20 years coaching companies on how to improve their results, and realized that the No. 1 problem facing companies was how to manage these essential employees.

High-Maintenance Employees takes the reader on a step-by-step process that includes:

--Identifying and appreciating high-maintenance high-performers
--Understanding their behavior
--Creating the best work environment
--Rewarding and leading high-maintenance high-performers
--Integrating them into teams

By following these steps, managers will learn how to maximize their employees' performance, and thereby maximize their business.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How I Discovered I Was a High-Maintenance Employee and Developed a Winning Management Team
- High-Maintenance Employees are Demanding
- High-Maintenance Employees Do Not Operate as Team Players
- High-Maintenance Employees are Uncompromising
- High-Maintenance Employees are Driven
- High-Maintenance Employees Behave Disrespectfully
- High-Maintenance Employees Can Be Intimidating
- High-Maintenance Employees are Emotional
- High-Maintenance Employees are Uncooperative
- High-Maintenance Employees are Defiant
- High-Maintenance Employees are Erratic
- High-Maintenance Employees are Driven to Succeed

Chapter 1: Identifying and Appreciating High-Maintenance High-Performers
- Characteristics of the High-Maintenance Employee
- Why Companies Need HMHPs
- How Examining Behaviors Improves Teamwork
- Moving Forward

Chapter 2: Know Yourself and Those You Work With
- Behavioral Profiling in Action
- Determine Your Behavioral Style
- The Behavioral Style of HMHPs
- Understanding Behavioral Styles Achieves Better Results
- Moving Forward

Chapter 3: Understanding the High-Maintenance, High Performer Communication Style
- Communicating Information to the Different Styles
- Winning Strategies for Communicating with HMHPs
- Difficult Management Communication Styles for HMHPs
- Communication Strategy Summary
- Moving Forward

Chapter 4: Creating the Right Environment for High-Maintenance Employees
- Environments that Take a Personal Interest
- Creating a Motivating Work Environment
- Moving Forward

Chapter 5: A Coaching Strategy for Leading and Managing Your High-Maintenance Employees
- Coaching Other Behavioral Styles
- The Coaching Approach
- Coaching Strategies
- Moving Forward

Chapter 6: Integrating High-Maintenance Employees into Your Team
- Understanding the Team Concept
- Operating as Part of a Team
- Moving Forward

Chapter 7: Hiring High-Maintenance Employees
- Spotting the Resume of a Potential High-Maintenance Employee
- Hiring Process for Identifying High-Maintenance Performers
- Step 1: Benchmark the Job
- Step 2: Create a Well-Defined Job Description
- Step 3: Screen
- Step 4: Match Candidates to the Benchmark
- Step 5: Check References
- Step 6: Profile Your Top Candidates
- Step 7: Hire Your Top Candidate
- Moving Forward

Chapter 8: Retaining High-Maintenance Employees
- Motivating or Self-Motivating
- What Not to Do With High-Maintenance Employees
- Create an Environment for Your High-Maintenance Employees to Thrive In

Chapter 9: Working for a High-Maintenance, High-Performer Boss
- Tip #1: Get Down to Business
- Tip #2: Don’t Take it Personally!
- Tip #3: Give Your HMHP Boss Only Essential Details
- Tip #4: Figure Out What Your High-Maintenance Boss Wants
- Tip #5: Always Approach Your HMHP Boss With Solutions
- Tip #6: Look for the Best Product, Fastest Way to Implement, or Latest Technology for Your Recommended Solution
- Tip #7: Establish a Timeline and Priority for Projects and Requests
- Tip #8: Don’t Surprise Your High-Maintenance Boss
- Tip #9: Show Loyalty for Your HMHP Boss
- Tip #10: Make Sure Your HMHP Boss Knows Your Strengths
- Tip #11: Communicate Your Successes and Your Wins
- Moving Forward

Chapter 10: High-Maintenance Employees as High-Level Executives
- Room for Improvement
- Providing Candid Feedback
- Developing a CEO Growth Plan
- Temporary Support Systems
- Communicating the Company’s Vision
- Moving Forward

Afterword

Excerpt

How to Create a Motivating Environment at Work

Excerpted from High-Maintenance Employees by Katherine Graham Leviss © 2005

Here are characteristics of an environment that will improve job satisfaction for your high-maintenance employees:

1. Freedom to operate
Because the HMHP is goal-driven, achievement is a motivating factor. High-maintenance employees will thrive in an environment where they have freedom to operate. They will thrive because there is little structure around how something needs to get accomplished. In the case where you require some structure, give your high-maintenance employees options as to how they can achieve a goal.

They are motivated be developing the big picture idea. They tend to think in broader views and will serve you and your organization best if they are driving and executing their plan. Don’t restrict them. Give them the flexibility and freedom to innovate. As their manager, you must be ready to run interference for them.

Given the freedom to choose how they accomplish their goals will often result in new ways—faster, more efficient, higher quality—of getting things done.

2. Freedom to lead
High-maintenance employees like to have control. They like to lead and direct. When involved in a project with a team, they will be inspired by taking on leadership roles. Give your high-maintenance employees the freedom to run their own projects. Allow them to execute on their own ideas for moving projects forward. These people are your drivers. Let them drive and you will see the results.

I was working for one of the major-market broadcast companies. I’d been working on my first project assignment for about three months when my boss asked to meet me for breakfast.

So I’m prepared. I’ve updated all of my projections, I have my plan. I know what to wear, what I’m going to order...

I’m thinking this is great. I have the plan. I’m ready—not just ready, I’m prepared—to meet with my boss. I can’t wait to talk about my plan, my strategy.

The day comes; I’m dressed for business...I arrive...we meet...we sit down.

My boss speaks very slowly, not like he has trouble getting started in the morning, more as though he thinks about everything he says before he says it. He is very deliberate in everything he says, even the chitchat...he starts with some getting to know you better chitchat, you know how that goes...and more chitchat—but meanwhile I’m thinking to myself, get on with it...

He finishes the chitchat and the meeting starts. He starts telling me about a project I’m working on...I’m working on, not him... He asks me how I think it’s going and I say great. I’m very excited about the challenge and the responsibility. And that’s true. I’m feeling very optimistic about what I can accomplish. I’m on target for not only meeting my goals but exceeding them...But, apparently, he doesn’t hear what I’m saying, or he’s not convinced so he starts to tell me how I should run the project...I’m thinking he doesn’t like the way I’m running the project...I object...politely. But he proceeds to tell me in great detail exactly about these changes I should make...

Do you know there are people in this world that actually like being told what to do?

What do you bet that I’m one of them?

HMHPs don’t like being told what to do. So, what do you think my reaction was? Let me give you one clue...I used to be very emotional—or let’s just say outspoken.

I don’t think he expected me to say anything. Back then, well, it was very easy for me to lose my cool. I was very defensive and yes you could even say uncooperative. So I’ll leave the rest of the conversation to your imagination.

What really surprised me, he invited me to breakfast again... and again. Each time the same thing happened...he would examine my project, ask for a blow-by-blow description of what I was doing and then he’d give me a blow-by-blow description of his step-by-step approach. He is a very smart man, but there were no options; he told me exactly how to run my projects and how to deal with the people, even though I had other ideas.

Despite our disagreements, we were successful—my boss, me, the projects I worked on, the company. In fact, I was told consistently how incredible my accomplishments were. But there was always a tension between us, my boss and me.

Well, I kept my resume in the top drawer of my desk all that year. How many of you have done that? You can’t bring yourself to leave in the middle of a project. All the while you’re working you have one foot out the door; you’re looking for something else, something more rewarding. Well, when I was done with my project, I was on my way to something else and something much bigger.

It was one year from the time I started that job to the time I left. I took what I had learned and moved on to the next job. The next job was in the same industry. I took what I learned and moved on. Each job I went to, I was successful...each job I went to was a promotion.

With every move, I was more and more successful, I made more money, had more responsibility, a better title...but all the time what I felt was misunderstood. What was really wrong, what I’ve learned since then, is there is a better way to manage people like me. For the companies I worked for, all of that learning and all of the ideas I had for moving my projects forward faster, more profitably were lost. They were lost the minute I walked out the door. A huge gush of wind as I slammed the door behind me and a breath of fresh air as I moved to something new.

That’s what a high-maintenance employee is all about. When I wasn’t given the freedom to run my own projects...I was just frustrated. Even though I was successful, it just wasn’t rewarding. So I moved on looking for something more challenging. Trying to figure out why I had such a difficult time finding where I fit. Why my bosses found me so high maintenance.

3. Availability of new opportunities and challenges
High-maintenance employees are driven people. Put them in charge of a new project or give them the task of creating one. Make sure that you have another new project waiting for them once their current project ends. This will continue to fuel them and prevent boredom from setting in.

4. Opportunity to advance
High-maintenance employees thrive on growth opportunities and look for jobs where they can continually advance their position. These individuals get bored easily, so it is important to create a plan for them to continually move forward in their careers. Identify the talents, skills, and interests of your high-maintenance employees. Discuss with them the experience, the behaviors, and the results they need to help them grow within your department or organization. Then create jobs and career paths that keep them challenged.

5. Creative freedom
Give your high-maintenance employees creative freedom. They are motivated by developing the big-picture idea. They tend to think in broader views and will serve you and your organization best if they are driving and executing their plan. Don’t restrict them. Give them the flexibility and freedom to innovate.

6. Recognition of achievements and contributions
High-maintenance employees enjoy being told that they have done exceptional work. They like to feel as though they are leading the pack through their own accomplishments. This is in part due to their ego drive and in part because of their competitive nature. Make employee recognition a strong part of your company culture.

7. A feeling of adding value
Your high-maintenance employees will feel valued if you make sure they have exciting work to do. High-maintenance employees want to feel a sense of accomplishment—a sense that they’re really contributing. Set growth plans for your high-maintenance employees that provide them with new challenges, chances to learn new skills, and opportunities to lead. This is a sure-fire way to make your high-maintenance employees feel they are valued members of your organization.

High-maintenance employees simply don’t leave jobs where they feel challenged, have exciting work to do, are rewarded appropriately, and feel their contributions matter.

Understanding how to motivate and reward high-maintenance employees is such an important aspect of managing them that the next chapter is devoted to those topics.

Moving Forward
Creating the right environment is essential to overcoming the natural tendency of HMHPs to become bored easily and to switch jobs frequently. Given an exciting, fun, challenging environment in which they can excel, HMHPs will be more content and less tempted to jump ship. Focusing significant time and effort on understanding and building the environment that HMHPs prefer is an essential leadership task.

Your current high-maintenance employees can play a key role in helping newly hired HMHPs adapt to your organization. By assigning them the role of mentor, you can also add an interesting component of leadership to their jobs that will reinforce their own desire to stay with your company.

Make a special effort to get to know your HMHPs and what motivates them and makes them tick. Then create an environment that leverages this knowledge and helps make sure your superstars stay around a while.

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