On a factory floor, frontline leadership frequently encounters a variety of different personalities, among them the “dominant employee.” While these individuals can pose significant challenges, understanding their nature and employing specific leadership tactics can transform them into valuable assets for the team and the organization, leading to better results.
Why Dominant Personalities Are Common on the Factory Floor
Dominant personalities are typically characterized as assertive, and sometimes even aggressive, individuals, and are perceived as intimidating or threatening. For a manager, dealing with such a personality type can feel personal, as if the individual is “out to get them,” leading to emotional responses that hinder effective management and decision-making. In most cases, this employee’s behavior isn’t directed solely at one individual; it’s very likely a consistent trait they exhibit in many areas of their life, including past jobs and personal relationships. Recognizing this can help leaders depersonalize the situation so they can approach it more neutrally and rationally.
Part of the difficulty for leaders also stems from a traditional view of leadership, where the boss is in charge, and a dominant personality can threaten this hierarchy, making the leader feel their authority is in jeopardy if they don’t ‘gain control’ of the employee.
A more dominant personality might also be ambitious, wanting to move up the ladder. This ambition can be a driving force behind their assertiveness. However, there’s a crucial distinction between being assertive—standing up for one’s own needs while recognizing the needs of others—and aggressive—prioritizing one’s own needs to “win” at others’ expense. As a leader, taking time to consider the “why” behind this dominance can help them handle a difficult coworker.
A leader’s mindset significantly impacts how they manage. Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, developed in the 1960s, illustrates this. A Theory X mindset assumes employees are lazy, need authoritarian leadership, and avoid extra work. Conversely, a Theory Y mindset assumes people want to work hard, be creative, and perform well. Adopting a Theory Y approach with a highly dominant personality means believing they are capable and even willing to succeed, prompting the leader to question why they choose dominance as a means to achieve their goals. This constructive mindset helps frame the conversation around coaching for better behavior rather than simply correcting it.
Let’s examine seven tactics frontline leaders can employ to manage dominant workers effectively.
Tactic 1: Set Boundaries Early and Consistently
Addressing issues promptly is key. Let’s use a workout analogy: say you’re doing squats and your trainer doesn’t correct your improper form early on. You’ll continue doing squats incorrectly, and may even end up hurting yourself because of it. Similarly, if a leader delays addressing problematic behavior, the employee might not know they’re doing something wrong and may even react with “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” when finally confronted after a prolonged period. While it’s advisable to observe if a behavior is a “one-off” or a pattern before addressing it formally, early preliminary conversations can nip unnecessarily dominant or aggressive behaviors in the bud.
Effective boundary setting involves clearly establishing performance-based expectations. For example, a plant manager could prepare new supervisors by discussing required results, such as producing volume, meeting quality standards, and ensuring employee safety and at the same time, insisting on specific behaviors like honesty, avoiding profanity, and earning respect without threatening employees. This strategy involves supervisors walking through departments before and after shifts to communicate expectations and proactively address needs. Ultimately, what you expect and inspect will usually get done.
Tactic 2: Coaching Instead of Confronting
Rather than approaching a dominant personality as a confrontation, leaders can flip the script and coach them. This involves understanding the why behind their dominant behavior, such as ambition or past experiences in cutthroat environments. While leaders aren’t psychologists, they can consider these possibilities without assuming negative intent.
The goal of coaching is to help the dominant individual understand why their personality might be working against them in today’s work environment. The modern workforce values collaboration and teamwork. Reed Hastings, former CEO of Netflix, famously advises against hiring “superstars” if they are jerks and not good team players, because most great work at companies now gets done on teams. If a dominant individual cannot work well with others, their value to the organization diminishes, as they become isolated and isolating. Coaching, therefore, helps them understand that they don’t need to bully or push their way through aggressively to achieve their goals, fostering a better-functioning team.
A fundamental aspect of coaching is to adopt a Theory Y approach, which involves believing that team members want to succeed and do well. This belief helps the leader frame discussions around how the dominant behavior manifests and what can be done to align it with success. This is less about correcting a flaw and more about educating, teaching, and coaching towards a better behavior.
Tactic 3: Practice Assertive Communication
In the workplace, it is crucial to focus on observable behavior and tangible facts, not personalities. Avoid labeling someone as “mean,” “dominant,” or “aggressive,” as these are descriptions of their personality rather than specific actions. Such labels can make individuals defensive and lead to unproductive arguments.
For example, rather than saying, “You’re rude and unfriendly,” a leader should say, “It’s been pointed out that you tend to interrupt people in meetings, and that frustrates the rest of the team.” Then, state the desired behavior: “I’m going to ask that moving forward, you let people finish what they want to say and then go ahead and add your opinion or your thoughts on it.”
Similarly, for critical behavior, acknowledge their critical thinking but guide them to first consider it from a more open perspective. Focusing on facts makes the conversation less emotional and more rational, leading to less defensiveness. This approach ensures the conversation is about the behavior to change, not the person’s character. You can spin it positively and redirect the conversation.
Tactic 4: Address Behavior Professionally and Privately
Prompt action is essential. When addressing behavior or performance issues, leaders should adopt a constructive mindset, focusing on building people up rather than tearing them down.
Another important aspect of addressing behavior issues is documentation. Leaders should keep notes of conversations, both positive and constructive, including dates, times, locations, and specific behaviors or performance deficiencies. These notes should be legible, respectful, factual (avoiding opinion), and protected as confidential. This prepares the leader for any potential challenges or denials, especially in formal disciplinary actions.
When a serious, recurring issue requires a formal discussion, the Constructive Conversation Method is recommended. Key steps include:
- Describe the behavior: State what was observed and its impact, avoiding interpretation.
- Clarify expectations: Explain the desired behavior and results.
- Discover: Ask questions to understand the employee’s perspective and handle excuses. Distinguish between excuses (“I’m not the only one”) and explanations (“I didn’t realize it was an issue”). When facing excuses, remain calm, acknowledge and reframe the comment, then restate the request.
- Plan: Determine how the employee will meet expectations.
- Agree: Get a commitment from the employee, restating confidence in their ability to change. The conversation should be conversational, not accusational. Conduct these conversations privately to maintain confidentiality and minimize embarrassment.
Tactic 5: Involve Them in Problem Solving
Empowerment is a powerful tool. It involves giving others the opportunity and authority to make decisions and solve problems for themselves. When leaders empower their teams, it fosters autonomy, boosts morale, and enhances innovation. This approach frees up the leader’s time for higher-value tasks and builds confidence that team members will make the right call even when the leader is not immediately available.
In some cases, people with a dominant personality may feel left out or involved, leading them to become even more dominant. Leaders can involve dominant workers by asking open-ended questions like, “What do you think would be the best approach?” or “What are some different ways you can tackle this problem?” This encourages them to think for themselves and builds their self-confidence, making them more self-reliant. Keep in mind, though, that a dominant personality may present their idea or suggestion as the only viable suggestion, or the ‘right’ one. As the leader, it’s important to listen to more than just the loudest, most dominant voice on the team when looking for input.
A structured approach like the GROW Model can be used to convert problems into action plans, especially for complex issues requiring a cross-functional response. The model includes:
- Goal: Clearly define the desired outcome.
- Reality: Understand the current situation and available resources.
- Options: Brainstorm various ways to achieve the goal.
- Will: Create a clear action plan, specifying who will do what by when.
Top performers, who may include ambitious, dominant people, thrive on increasing levels of challenge and responsibility. Involving them in problem-solving provides this important growth opportunity.
Tactic 6: Leverage Training and Development
Training is a crucial tool for teaching team members the skills and information they need to take on tasks and roles. It directly contributes to their capability and confidence.
The Job Instruction Methodology from the Training Within Industry (TWI) Program, widely used in manufacturing since the 1940s, offers a structured approach to effective on-the-job training. It is most effective when done one-on-one, with a carefully selected instructor who knows the job well. The four steps are:
- Preparation: Put the learner at ease, find out what they know, motivate them, and ensure they are in the correct position to observe.
- Presentation: Tell, show, and illustrate each step one at a time, stressing key points (safety, ease, make/break) and sharing “knacks and tricks.” Explain why the task is vital.
- Try-out/Test: Have the learner do the job, correct errors, and explain the key points back to the instructor until they know the job.
- Follow-up: Let the learner work independently, ensure they know who to ask for help, check-in frequently, and slowly reduce coaching.
Coaching also helps move “bottom performers”—some of whom may be dominant individuals whose behavior is problematic—towards becoming middle or top performers. This involves providing positive feedback on what they do well and not isolating them.
Tactic 7: Monitor Impact and Adjust Strategy
Managing dominant personalities, or really any employee behavior, is not a one-time event; it requires ongoing monitoring and adjustment. Leaders should plan regular check-ins or follow-ups at the initial conversation. This sets expectations for the new behavior and provides a timeframe for evaluation. For long-standing issues, it’s often a multi-step process.
And don’t forget to celebrate the wins! This creates a more balanced approach, ensuring the manager isn’t perceived as only delivering negative feedback. Acknowledging improvements and positive changes can motivate the dominant individual and others, preventing them from putting up walls. Documenting these positive observations can also be valuable for performance reviews and demonstrating progress.
Leaders are closest to the work and should identify and lead continuous improvement efforts, involving employees in the process to eliminate waste and standardize work. This proactive monitoring and continuous adjustment ensure that strategies remain effective and that the individual’s progress is recognized and reinforced.
Turning Dominant Workers into Productive Leaders
These tactics empower leaders to be calmer and more rational when dealing with dominant behavior, fostering credibility and trust across the team. By proactively addressing issues, leaders reduce stress and improve safety, quality, and overall business performance. This approach helps de-escalate potential conflict and dominate negative dynamics.
Applying these methods leads to “win-win-win” outcomes, benefiting all parties through conflict resolution. Focusing on observable behavior, rather than personalities, reduces defensiveness and promotes an open, harmonious workplace. Clear expectations, consistent feedback, and strong boundary management cultivate mutual respect. Creating a “hope slope” by tackling frustrations builds positive momentum and optimism within the team, while fostering psychological safety ensures productive teams working towards common goals. This also helps manage power dynamics when a dominant colleague wants to control the conversation, especially with extroverted people or an alpha personality.
The leader’s role becomes that of a coach, guiding the dominant individual to understand how their style impacts their professional advancement in a collaborative work environment. Empowering them through problem-solving and developmental training encourages personal growth and self-reliance, enhancing team capability and confidence.
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