I have a coworker who produces good work, but is difficult to work with. When confronted with a problem, he can easily get frustrated and will frequently derail meetings and hinder progress once he has begun to get emotional. I believe he is under significant pressure from executives, which may exacerbate his emotional situation.
I need to address this individual and let him know that his emotional behavior is a problem. How should I approach this?
Options I have considered:
- Stating that his behavior is unproductive, and causes him and others more stress than necessary
- Stating nothing, and asking him how he is doing or what he needs help with
- Discussing his behavior with his manager
Outside forces:
- Something needs to be done, because his behavior is keeping other people from doing their jobs
- If I speak to him directly, I don't know that his manager will approve of me having that discussion
- If I speak to his manager directly, there is a possibility he could be let go/reprimanded without getting to speak with a person who is actually having the problem with him
This is my first attempt at addressing this type of behavior issue, so I am looking for a way to resolve this with the least amount of fallout.
From comments:
- We are both team leads, and his actions have impacted my team enough that I need to do something to protect my team's ability to be productive
- We could be considered of similar position but in different departments.
- Many of the people who must work with this person have been affected, and expressed concern/difficulty getting work done when the person is involved.
- We are not close enough that I know for certain that he will take it the right way, but close enough that I feel he deserves for me to have the conversation with him before going straight to management.
Resolution:
Based on feedback here, I addressed him by pointing out some meetings that didn't go well and asking how I could help. He indicated there were some issues with our (lack of) process that were frustrating him and I indicated I will help him resolve those issues in order that everyone can get better results.