Law 42 — Handle Negativity: 1-on-1 + Coaching/Rotation Deal with negative influencer_ from Team Leadership with The 48 Laws of Power
Why it matters (ហេតុអ្វីសំខាន់)
“Negative influencers” slowly erode safety, trust, and productivity—especially on construction sites where coordination and timing are everything. The antidote is private respect (1-on-1), a clear coaching plan, and—if needed—rotation/seat-change to protect the team.
Principles (ស្នូលគោលការណ៍)
- Private first: Correct in private, praise in public.
- Behavior ≠ person: Attack the pattern, not the identity.
- Time-boxed: Coaching has start–end dates and checkpoints.
- Team shield: Rotate roles/crews if morale or safety dips.
Outcomes (លទ្ធផលរំពឹងទុក)
- Reduced rumor/complaint loops.
- Higher schedule adherence & fewer rework cycles.
- Clear norm: critique ideas, not people.
Early signals (សញ្ញាដំបូង)
Open checklist
3-Step Playbook (ផែនការ ៣ជំហាន)
1) 1-on-1 (ក្រៅមុខមនុស្ស)
- Goal Understand intent; align on standards.
- Tool “SBI” frame: Situation → Behavior → Impact.
- Deliverable Written agreement: 2–3 behaviors to start/stop/continue.
2) Coaching Plan (សិក្សា-ផ្ទាល់)
- Buddy with a high-trust peer for 2–3 weeks.
- Micro-goals each shift (eg. lead stretch-n-flex, run end-of-day 5-min QA).
- Twice-weekly check-ins; log examples (evidence, not feelings).
3) Rotation / Seat-Change
- Use when morale dips or influence stays toxic.
- Rotate to a new task/zone/supervisor; reset peer context.
- Protect project critical path; keep client interface clean.
Scripts & Templates (ស្គ្រីប/ទម្រង់)
Private 1-on-1 opener (SBI) — EN/KM
EN: “In yesterday’s toolbox talk (Situation), when you said ‘this schedule is a joke’ and others laughed (Behavior), the team lost focus and we skipped a safety check (Impact). I need your help to keep standards high. What was going on from your view?”
KM: “ក្នុងកិច្ចប្រជុំ toolbox ម្សិលមិញ (ស្ថានភាព) ពេលអ្នកបាននិយាយថា ‘កាលវិភាគនេះគ្រាន់តែរឿងលេង’ ហើយមនុស្សផ្សេងញញឹម (អាកប្បកិរិយា) ក្រុមបាត់ការផ្ដោតអារម្មណ៍ ហើយរំលងការត្រួតពិនិត្យសុវត្ថិភាព (ផលប៉ះពាល់)។ ខ្ញុំត្រូវការជំនួយពីអ្នកដើម្បីរក្សាស្តង់ដារខ្ពស់។ មើលពីខាងអ្នកមានអ្វីកើតឡើង?”
Coaching Plan — 2-week template
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Behaviors (3) | e.g., (1) No side-talk during briefings, (2) Ask clarifying Qs, (3) Publicly support foreman decisions. |
| Buddy | Name / crew / contact. |
| Daily micro-goal | Lead 1 checklist; give 1 praise; surface 1 risk. |
| Check-ins | Tue/Fri 10 min; log examples (date, what changed, impact). |
| Success definition | Zero public undermines; 4+ positive contributions/week; safety compliance 100%. |
Rotation announcement (neutral tone)
“To balance workload and accelerate the east-wing schedule, we’re rotating roles this week. [Name] will move to rebar QA with [Supervisor]. Handover with checklists today 3:30pm. Thank you for supporting the plan.”
Decision Matrix (when to escalate)
| Pattern | Action | Why | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| First incident, low impact | Private 1-on-1 + notes | Set standard early without shame. | Supervisor / GC lead |
| Repeated, moderate impact | Coaching plan (2 weeks) + buddy | Skill + habit re-training with proof. | Foreman + HR/PM |
| No improvement; morale drop | Rotation to new zone/role | Shield team while giving reset. | PM / Site manager |
| Safety violation or harassment | Immediate escalation per policy | Zero-tolerance boundaries. | PM + HR |
KPIs & cadence (វាស់វែង)
Weekly
- Toolbox talk interruptions: target ↓ to 0.
- Positive callouts recorded: ≥ 5/week.
Quality/Time
- Rework tickets related to mis-coordination: ↓ 50% in 4 weeks.
- Adherence to daily plan: ≥ 90%.
Safety
- Near-miss due to communication: 0.
- PPE/compliance checks passed: 100%.
Manager mini-SOP (ប្រតិបត្តិការលឿន)
- Log 2–3 concrete examples (date/time, words, impact).
- 1-on-1 within 24–48h. Use SBI. Agree on 3 behaviors.
- Coach (2 weeks). Buddy + micro-goals + check-ins.
- Decide: clear improvement → praise in public; none → rotation.
- Escalate immediately on safety/harassment boundaries.
FAQ (សំណួរញឹកញាប់)
What if the “negativity” is actually a signal of real risk?
Great—treat it as risk surfacing. Thank them, capture the issue, and put it through your risk log. Separate the risk from any disrespectful delivery; coach the delivery while fixing the risk.
Rotation feels like punishment?
Frame it as a reset for success and workload balancing. Keep tone neutral and tie to schedule/quality, not personalities.
How to protect client relationships?
Keep the client-facing channel single-threaded (PM ↔ client). If negativity touches the client, rotate the interface role immediately while you coach privately.
Related (អត្ថបទពាក់ព័ន្ធ)
Law — Trust People (post style reference) Team Leadership with 48 Laws of Power (hub)