I have two children, ages 6 & 4. I’m not going to lie: they’re a handful. But they’re mine and I love them. They watch appropriate kids’ shows on TV. One of these is LazyTown and it’s on the Sprout network. In brief, the show is about a girl that lives in the fictional hamlet of LazyTown. You know the deal. She goes on adventures, gets into trouble, gets out of trouble, etc.

Again, the show is called LazyTown. But there’s nothing lazy about it. Honestly, I get exhausted just watching it. The action never stops. They sing, dance, become pirates, ride rocket ships, and on and on. There’s no sleeping, no resting, nothing that would come close to being described as lazy.

This isn’t a rant about what I consider to be an egregious misnaming of a kids’ television show. Well, the first part of the post is. (Note to self: Sean, get a life!!)

But I digress.

Laziness is one of those culprits that can ruin an organization. And it’s not a fast-moving killer. Indeed the very nature of laziness is lethargic, snail’s pace, and glacier-like withering of progress. And it’s extremely contagious!

Organizations like yours need employees that are akin to the characters in LazyTown. They’re energetic, always smiling and singing, and have a passion for their work. People are going to have bad days. That should be expected, we’re human after all. A bad day every now and again isn’t the problem.

The problem is chronic laziness practiced by unmotivated employees. You know the type: the constant complainers, the troubled tardys, the party poopers. These are the folks who need attention. Perhaps they need training. Incentives might help increase their energy. Maybe an attitude adjustment is in order. The point is you cannot tolerate chronic laziness. Here are 3 steps on how to deal with the unmovable:

Cause. Find out what it is. Is it something that can be controlled or changed for the better?

Evaluate. It could be the employee isn’t in the right position at the organization. This happens more often than you think. They might want to learn new things or accept additional responsibilities. Are you challenging them enough?

Agreement. Once you uncover the cause and evaluate the situation, it’s important to agree on a mutually beneficial course of action. Each situation is unique. Recognize it as such and understand that a “cookie cutter” approach usually won’t resolve a problem that presents itself as laziness.

Are there other steps that you’ve taken to address laziness in your organization? Leave your comments below and let’s start a conversation!

I came across a quote the other day and I wanted to share it: “A bad manager can take a good staff and destroy it, causing the best employees to flee and the remainder to lose all motivation.”

 It’s 100% true. Don’t be a sucky leader. Find a better way. www.ABSURDLeadership.com