How To Tame Your Out of Control Office Celebrity

Now that this year’s award season is behind us, we can finally move on with our lives! Our Sunday nights are no longer devoted to judging questionable evening gown choices and listening to painfully awkward acceptance speeches. But all this fuss made over awards season and celebrities got us thinking about just how much we let celebrities get away with.

In real life, what would you think if someone wore a dress like Angelina Jolie’s at the Oscars? Her right thigh now has its on Twitter account (I can’t make this stuff up).

And everyone was talking about whether or not Jennifer Lopez slipped out of her deep plunging neckline dress. (Her now infamous body part also has a Twitter, but does not have nearly as many followers as Jolie’s leg. Sigh).

 

And what about Sacha Baron Cohen? He is probably banned from the Oscars after he paraded down the red carpet dressed as his character General Aladeen from “The Dictator,” only to spill the “ashes” of the late Kim Jong Il all over Ryan Seacrest.

And those are just a couple of examples of outrageous behavior that goes on every year during awards season.

We all remember the 2009, “I’m gonna let you finish but…” interruption by one Kanye West during the innocent Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. And we could go on and on.

Between the fashion disasters and the loose lipped slip ups, award season is filled with perfect examples of celebrities behaving badly.

Sometimes, even in the real world, we have “office celebrities” that get a little fame and go all diva on us.

I guess we really can’t blame them. I mean, we all see what real celebrities do when they finally reach the top. (ie: Charlie Sheen. Read our blog about his antics here). But as supervisors and CEOs, the last thing you need on your plate is an employee thinking he’s the next golden boy.

Your celebrity employees are star employees for a reason. They are good at what they do. They have exceeded your performance expectations for years. You praise them in performance evaluations. You pat them on the back at backyard BBQ’s. You give them yearly raises to reflect their outstanding performance. And that is exactly what you should do.

But some people just can’t handle the fame. Suddenly, they start to think they are indispensable. They no longer have to follow the office policies because they “above the law.” Dress code? Ha! What dress code? 30 minutes lunches? Ha! I’ll take two hours and you won’t say anything about it.

 

Soon their pompous behavior is not only annoying, but destructive to your company morale. Your celebrity starts being rude to the staff and fellow employees. He doesn’t submit reports on time. She doesn’t return important phone calls to crucial clients.

Productivity suffers. Not just because the celebrity isn’t performing, but because everyone around him or her is feeling dejected.

So what do you do?

You first thought might be: “Fire the celebrity!” Or maybe you are a little more passive and say, “Oh, just let him be. He’ll get off his high horse eventually.”

Here’s the reality. In either one of those scenarios, you lose productivity. You keep the celebrity and he continues to mock the staff and fellow employees and nothing seems to get done. You fire the celebrity and well, you lose your star employee.

There has to be a better way! And there is. The HR Professionals at Integrity HR have a simple two step “rehab” program of proven techniques to tame your out of control office celebrity

Here is what Integrity HR suggests:

Step One: Take a 360 Degree Evaluation. Your out of control office celebrity may not even realize she is on the verge of being a major diva. A 360 Degree evaluation is a perfect way for her to evaluate her behavior and how it affects the people around her. This assessment combines feedback from direct reports, peers, supervisors, and even customers, with a personalized program for developing specific leadership skills based on that feedback.  It measures traits such as:

 

1. Communication
2. Leadership
3. Adaptability
4. Relationships
5. Task Management
6. Production
7. Development of Others
8. Personal Development

The report takes an organization-wide approach to explain how to improve training, management techniques, and communication for greater success of your managers and your leaders.

How Can Checkpoint 360 Help?

Think of the 360 degree evaluation as a wakeup call for your celebrity, Like rehab expect less demoralizing, less expensive and less intense. Through measuring all of these traits Checkpoint 360 identifies strengths and weaknesses of the individual and develops customized solutions based on the results of the assessment.  It has been proven over and over to contribute significantly to the success of an organization and its leaders. Contact Integrity HR to get your 360 assessment today.

Step 2: Get a coach. After your celebrity realizes he has a diva complex, have a coach come in and straighten him out. (In the nicest way possible of course). Coaching sessions can help with:

• Intrapersonal Skills – Managing Time, Efficiency, Dealing With Negative Behavior
• Interpersonal Skills – Relationship Development, Attitude and Outlook Adjustments
• Organizational Skills – Strategic Organization, Leadership Training, Promotional Strengths and Weaknesses

It is often that a change in ONE individual has a cascading effect throughout the entire organization, not only affecting his or her performance, but the performance of everyone else as well. Now, doesn’t that sound like a plan?

Would you like to learn more about how Coaching can dramatically improve your culture? Contact Integrity HR. Our certified HR professionals can coach your celebrity employee and get your organization back on track.

Now, no more excuses! Show that office celebrity who is boss! And most importantly, boost your staff morale and see their productivity skyrocket (along with your business).