How to Manage the Maverick Employee

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The Maverick Employee Typically Differs from the Difficult Employee

If you’ve been in the workforce for at least a few years, you’ve encountered the maverick employee as a co-worker, supervisor, or team member. You might even be (or have been) one yourself. The typical profile indicates that the maverick is identifiable by his/her consistent “marching to a different drummer,” often challenging company policies and procedures, and exhibiting a penchant to disregard the organizational chart and all forms of corporate authority.

While the normal evaluation is to assume the maverick employee is always a negative factor at the workplace, many of these people are quite good at their jobs and are high performers. Encountering this type of employee showcases the difference between the maverick and the “difficult” worker. Those classified as difficult employees are often afflicted with personalities that grate on co-workers, maintain and publish a consistently negative attitude about most job-related areas, and often tend to be low performers.

Certainly, it’s true that the maverick employee is often difficult to manage effectively, but they may also have a much more positive personality and outlook. They can also interject thought provoking ideas and comments that may be needed by their employer. In many cases, the maverick hates to hear one phrase more than any other. The phrase? “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Companies mired in procedures and action plans that once worked, but don’t match current conditions, can actually be jolted into action by the maverick employee.

How to Manage the Maverick Employee to Spur Performance

Here are some suggestions to manage the maverick employee and, hopefully, help him/her function with your team and perform well. Since every human is complex with different history and personality traits, there is no “one size fits all” approach that will work every time. Use these tips in the context of the uniqueness of your employee.

Try to be a guide; not an authority figure. As you are already aware, the maverick employee does not respond well to authority – so be polite. If the maverick views you as the embodiment of authority, you’ll have little chance to make the right impression. However, if you convince your maverick that you are interested in his/her well-being and performance to the point that you’re willing to guide them toward superior performance, the maverick often responds well. Be very clear with your expectations so there is little chance of misunderstanding.
Strive to receive respect, not an admission of your authority and power. Expecting your maverick employee to act and perform in the preferred way simply because of your recognized authority is normally an exercise in futility. You already know that your maverick reacts badly to authority figures. However, if you establish your goal as gaining his/her respect, you might enjoy the results. Exhibiting interest in your maverick’s ideas, asking him/her questions, and making it clear that you value your maverick’s opinions often builds a wonderful rapport and generates mutual respect.
Be a source of consistent – and frequent – feedback. An important but often overlooked component of the maverick employee is that his/her actions are typically not as much a conscious rebellion against authority as they are a subconscious lack of consideration of their behavior. Providing consistent and frequent feedback – whether positive or negative – serves to bring their behavior and its consequences into their conscious mind. Often, witnessing their own behavior and how it sometimes disrupts the workplace creates the desire to correct his/her errors.
Support, defend, and protect. The creed of the police and the military often works very well with the maverick employee, too. By definition, the maverick is seldom a member of a workplace group or clique. This also means the maverick seldom receives co-worker or supervisor support and encouragement on the job. Since most people need some social support (whether they admit it or not), you can provide this needed human component. You can be almost guaranteed that your maverick employee appreciates your interest, although they may not openly demonstrate their gratitude. You might be amazed at how your formerly frustrating efforts at managing this person quickly become quite successful.
Set behavior and performance parameters. Be prepared to be only marginally successful. Adhering to limits and specific parameters is not a maverick’s strength, to say the least. However, if you’ve developed some mutual respect and displayed your concern for your maverick’s well being, many of these interesting employees will respond to at least some of your desired limits and standards.

If you’ve confused your definition of maverick and difficult employee, you may still have to take some firm action to rid yourself and your team of this person before your whole department suffers serious harm. But, if you’ve correctly identified your maverick and use one or more of these tips, you might be pleasantly surprised with the result.