Developing Leadership Abilities

Learning to Fight the Feeling

Finally, a leader who wants to cope successfully with a bad apple in the organization can achieve impressive results by reversing the three natural reactions described earlier. Instead of stripping the bad apple of all redeeming attributes, try to find positive characteristics or behaviors and build upon those. Instead of defaming the bad apple, mention something that she contributes to the organization—and make sure that the bad apple hears about it. Instead of explaining the motives of the bad apple negatively, withhold judgment until you’ve had a chance to hear all sides of the story.

The old cliché has it that one bad apple ruins the bunch. For the sake of the organization, if not the individual problem employee, ...