It is very easy for focus to be stolen from the important matter at hand. For example: Many times, I’ve had associates come to me as the District Manager, upset they had been yelled at or disciplined by their managers in front of other associates. This is obviously unacceptable. When talking to the managers in question, they usually explained their actions in the following way:

     I was talking to the associate about doing a specific job and the associate had a bad attitude and even began to talk back to me! So, I lost my cool and told her she wasn’t even the best person for the job and I would assign someone else in her place. Unfortunately, it was in front of other associates.

     Because of the behavior of the manager, focus on the real issue was lost. The morale of everyone present was lowered and because the manager failed to keep his composure, no disciplinary action can be taken against the associate. The fact the associate was in the wrong is completely lost.

     You must always keep the focus where it belongs! It is also necessary to train your management team to not become distracted and keep focus on the issue. This will save much consternation and allow you to manage your associates with respect.