IDD Leader

Ep. 80 - Dealing With Difficult Employees: 4 Situations Every Leader Faces


Listen Later

If you’ve ever thought, “Why do I feel like I’m babysitting adults?”… this episode is for you.

In human services, most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t care—they struggle because they were never shown what to actually say and do in the moment when staff push back, avoid responsibility, or just don’t follow through.

In this episode, we walk through four real-world situations that supervisors deal with all the time—from passive follow-through issues to more direct resistance—and break down exactly how stronger leaders handle them.

No theory overload. Just practical, usable approaches you can bring into your next conversation.

If you want supervisors who are more consistent, more confident, and less likely to pass problems up the chain… this is a great place to start.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Insubordinate employee related to CEO: "Should I confront him?"
2:45 – Why good people still struggle with follow-through
5:30 – Situation #1: When staff say they’ll do it… but don’t
9:10 – Situation #2: How soon to correct new employees
13:40 – Situation #3: What to do when someone pushes back directly
18:20 – Situation #4: Handling two teammates at odds with each other
23:10 – The pattern behind all four situations (and what strong leaders do differently)
27:00 – How to start applying this with your team right away

If this episode resonates, check out the Leadership Lab—a live, cohort-based experience designed to help frontline supervisors build real people-management skills (the kind that actually reduce turnover and improve team performance).

Learn more: https://iddleader.com/leadership

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

IDD LeaderBy Nate Beers

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

3 ratings