Let the axe fall where it may fall

What would you do if your friend who happens to be your subordinate is caught by your security guard doing something illegal in your office? For example stealing of office supplies, should you exert effort to protect your friend by whitewashing the offense?   

Or you will not exert any effort to conceal the offense and let the investigation take its natural course until the truth is ferret out? Many organizational leaders and managers will do the right action by letting the natural course of events unfold.

Yet many would also try to protect the friendship or brotherhood by concealing the offense until it’s forgotten. So the offender will escape from any punishment however this is not the right course of action to take. For the reason that the moment the manager/leader does this he is actually telling his friend to do it again and again and again and he/she becomes party to the offense as well.

Yet we all know that crime does not pay sooner or later it will be payback time so the offender will be caught. And the manager/leader/friend will be unmasked as the protector. Why? For the simple reason that this is the natural flow of karma.

Therefore, to avoid any future complication and problem never protect an offender in your workplace. Let the natural flow of justice takes its course even if the subordinate offender is your best friend, fraternity brother or sister and the like.

In other words: Let the axe fall where it may fall for it will enhance your value as an effective, competent and impartial leader/manager.  -  Marino J. Dasmarinas       

How to solve infighting in your organization

Billy is the Chief Executive Officer in an organization that has a population of two hundred workers. Every now and then behavioral issues would crop up amongst his department managers, supervisors and workers. Foremost of these behavioral issues are infighting which eventually results to disharmony, friction and divisiveness.

How should the CEO solve this infighting in his organization? He must solve it without partiality to anyone or without fear or favor. For this is the best way to extinguish organizational conflict. If he would favor a certain group or personality for the reason that he is close to them, he would certainly not be able to solve it.

When a manager/leader smells infighting in his organization he must take action to solve it at the soonest possible time. For the simple reason that every second of inaction would disrupt the smooth operation of his organization.  For example if he was told that there’s a blossoming conflict amongst his supervisors he must therefore immediately look into the veracity of this information.

If he finds out that this information is true, he must immediately intervene so as to disrupt and immediately heal the conflict. He can best do this by privately calling the attention of the parties involve. Why privately and not publicly? For the simple reason that organizational conflicts such as infighting can immediately be solved privately and not publicly.

In the privacy of your office you meet and talk to the parties involve without any partiality. And if possible arrive at a solution of the infighting during the same meeting. This is for the reason that organizational problems and issues should be solved at the soonest possible time. Otherwise it would hurt your organization and your leadership. 

In talking with the parties involve blame game should be out of the picture immediately. Resolution to the infighting should be arrived at based on the issues and not on the involved personalities.

Lest I forget, the tenor of the meeting/talk should always be diplomatic never strong or hateful. As the Bible says: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1).” – Marino J. Dasmarinas