JERKS

Welch (2006) BUSINESS WEEK, 11/13/ 136

John Doe sales lots of mouse traps. However, he is a jerk. In the long run, he will ruin morale in the company and most everyone else will not sale as many mouse traps as they once did. What do you do with John Doe?

First, think of a 2 by 2 table. On the vertical is the axis for sales and the horizontal is for morale.

When looking at a table the upper left hand corner has a worker who can sell and keep up morale.

This person should get lots and lots of rewards. The reverse is another person  who can not sell and makes everyone around him miserable. He should be given a nice letter and a ticket out of the business. The third is not selling very well, but keeps up morale. He should be given 2nd and 3rd and 4th chances. We now arrive at John Doe.

To prepare for John, we have a program about morale and company values. We put up signs that support the idea that jerks make morale go in the toilet and hurts everyone else. We continue to emphasize this message over and over. John Doe is still a jerk. Then we fire him.

We also fire him publicly and say that John is leaving because he was hurting morale. He may want to take you to court, but you have documented over and over by other employees who

speak privately but for the record that John is a jerk and how he has been a jerk.

As costly as this may be the first time, other jerks get the message. Or, you tell them that they have been jerks and company policy likes non-jerks. Usually, that is enough to get rid of jerks. It may take 2 or 3 times, but as you fight the good fight, the workers or most other workers are secretly

with you.