The truth is, most managers spend an enormous amount of time dealing with the same employees about the same problems — with the same lousy results.

Recurring employee problems take a tremendous toll on your organization’s bottom line in lost productivity and employee turnover, which is why bad attitudes, unacceptable behaviors and nonperformance issues cannot go unaddressed. And as you know all too well, dealing with nonperformers and workers with negative behaviors is an incredibly frustrating and time-consuming part of your job as a manager.

Discover a positive new approach to handling employee performance problems!

But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to an innovative 2-day training program developed for leaders like you. Coaching, Criticism & Discipline Skills for Managers & Supervisors is an intensive workshop that features a positive approach to addressing negative behaviors and substandard performance. Based on best practices from managers around the country, this skill-packed training shows you exactly how to get problem employees back on track — confidently, fairly and legally.

Here’s just a sample of the behavior-changing criticism and discipline skills you’ll learn ...

• Coaching and feedback techniques that result in dramatic improvement for underperformers
• Important insight into reasons why nonperformers aren’t getting the job done
• “How-to’s” for providing criticism in a way that causes positive change, not resentment and defensiveness
• Proven strategies for turning around chronic complainers, naysayers and negative employees
• Keys to disciplining rule breakers fairly and effectively
• Motivation tactics that light a fire under apathetic workers and those “just marking time”
• Tips for matching your leadership style to the needs of your employees for amazing results

Get real-world solutions to your toughest employee behavior challenges!

Filled with real-world solutions and proven techniques, this workshop is highly interactive and hands-on, allowing you ample time to practice and fine-tune the powerful skills you’re learning. We’ve thrown the outdated textbook management theories out the window and concentrated instead on the “how-to’s” of addressing specific problem issues, from chronic tardiness to stubborn resistance to change to petty bickering.

You’ll also learn dozens of “what to say when” responses that take the dread out of confronting an employee about unacceptable behavior, so you can handle those difficult situations calmly and professionally — without breaking a sweat!

When all else fails — how to fire employees legally

Unfortunately, there will always be some employees who either can’t get the job done or can’t conform to behavior standards, no matter how long and hard you work with them to improve. That’s why we’ve included a special section on how to legally fire employees. You’ll learn exactly what you must do before, during and after an employee’s termination to reduce legal risks for your organization — and to help you dismiss the employee from the job with dignity.

Earn the reputation of a skilled manager who leads employees to the top!

Make no mistake: This is must-attend training for you as a manager. The powerful skills you’ll learn will serve you throughout the rest of your management career — and earn you the reputation of a strong, effective leader who inspires employees to peak achievement!

How to Provide Criticism That Results in Positive Behavior Changes

• Critical differences between criticism that’s positive and performance-enhancing vs. criticism that demoralizes and damages performance
• Discussing a problem without pointing fingers and placing blame
• “What to expect from employees when you’re telling them something they’d rather not hear
• Using reflective listening to hear the real story
• How to address poor performance and still leave the employee’s esteem intact
• Opening the door for honest communication — now and in the future

Dealing Proactively With Specific Performance and Attitude Problems

• How to analyze an employee’s negative behavior so you can determine your best response
• Chronic complainers: Tips for turning them into productive employees
• Cynics and naysayers: A game plan for building their trust and cooperation
• Rule breakers: The importance of setting boundaries and establishing consequences
• Excuse makers: The best way to cut through their smoke screen
• What to do when your employee requires constant attention
• Effective ways to get more commitment from employees just “doing time”
• Proven techniques for charging up apathetic workers
• Dealing with the work effects of an employee’s personal problems
• Eliminating unwanted reactions to stress

Using Coaching and Feedback to Boost Morale and Send Productivity Soaring

• Communication: Your power tool for “remodeling” unacceptable behavior
• Are you part of the problem? How your management style may be contributing to bad attitudes
• Matching your leadership styles to the employee: why different people require different approaches
• A quick primer on coaching techniques every manager should know
• Why “not enough feedback” is among employees’ top complaints about managers — and what to do about it
• The “how to’s” of giving effective positive and negative feedback
• 10 unforgivable mistakes managers make with problem employees — and how to avoid them

Creating a Positive, Energized Work Environment: Your Role as a Manager

• The #1 thing employees want from their supervisor — and your best weapon in creating a more positive environment
• Why your attitude directly impacts the attitude of everyone on your team
• The roles respect and trust play in overcoming employees’ negative attitudes
• Eliminating blame: Tips for making it unacceptable to your entire organization
• Pointers that help build “team” enthusiasm and improve overall morale
• How to mount a company-wide “anti-negativity” campaign spearheaded by your department

Conducting a Successful Performance Review

• Document, document, document! Make sure you have all the facts before you get started
• Hate giving performance reviews? Tips for psyching yourself up
• Getting a conversation going during the performance review to open up communication
• The 2 most important questions to ask that cover all the bases
• What to do if an employee becomes defensive or angry
• Self-rating plans: Do they work?
• Drawing conclusions and future plans for commitment

Mastering the Keys to Effective Discipline

• The secret to disciplining without causing resentment
• How to skillfully confront the serious performance problem
• When it’s the final warning: How to be firm and specific
• Putting airtight documentation together
• Signals that let you know your discipline is on target
• Interpreting your company’s employee handbook concerning discipline
• Establishing a misconduct policy that is fair and covers all the angles

When All Else Fails: When and How to Legally Fire Employees

• When to skip the discipline process and go right to termination
• Suspend or terminate? Key issues to consider when making that decision
• Why “bad attitude” can be considered a gray area in firing and how to cover the bases with documentation to justify the action
• What a manager should — and should never — say during the firing process
• How a termination interview should be conducted
• Critical steps that can lessen employer firing risks
• How to be prepared for the typical reactions of fired employees
• Dismissing people from their job with dignity
• What to say to the rest of your staff when one employee is dismissed