Be Honest
How many people woke up this morning and said to themselves, “I’m going to be completely non-productive today”? How many people went into work this morning committed to finding a way to make mistakes? The answer is nobody. Nobody goes into something hoping to fail. So, why do some people flourish while others struggle?
The answer is leadership. And people deserve good leadership.
Ivy League Stars Can Fall
Let me tell you about James. (I’m not using real names here.) James was a star student at a private prep school. He was awarded the highest honors that the school could give. He was captain of several athletic teams and received top honors there as well. After prep school he was accepted to an Ivy League college where he also excelled both academically and athletically. It seemed like James was destined for greatness no matter what he did.
At his first job out of college, James began working for Brad. Brad is a hands-off manager. In fact, his hands are so far off you might think that he is absent. James receives minimal guidance and direction. The only time Brad gets involved with his team is when his boss takes an interest in what is going on in the department. When James is given projects to work on, he does them and does them well. But, on any given workday are as likely to see him surfing the web as you are doing anything for work.
So what happened? How did this Ivy League star fall so far? The answer is leadership.
People genuinely want to do good work and to be recognized for it.
In exchange, they will work hard to do what it takes to get the job done, if only the person in charge can connect with them and will lead them. If someone isn’t doing well at work, 90% of the time it is because they aren’t sure what is expected of them or they don’t possess the competency to do the job at that point in time. In either case, it is the responsibility of the leader to address it by making sure the expectations are clear, the skills and experience of the individual align to the work at hand, and the desired outcome is reached. Ken Blanchard calls this situational leadership and does a good job of illustrating it in his One Minute Manager series of books. Specifically, in the book “Leadership and the One Minute Manger” Blanchard says,
“Everyone has peak performance potential – you just need to know where they are coming from and meet them there.”
So, did James suddenly tell himself that he was just going to coast in his career? Did his new job reveal that James is not capable of mastering the requirements of the job? Not likely.
Servant Leadership
What happened is that James came face-to-face with self-appointed authoritarian royalty. Leaders like Brad are more focused on fitting themselves with the crown of authority than they are working with their people to help them achieve great things. Sadly this is an all too common story. The most effective leaders are those who have realized that they will be far more successful if they find ways to help their people to be successful. This is called servant leadership.
Servant leaders find it hard to work with people while wearing the crown of authority because the crown tends to fall off when you bend down to help somebody.
In what ways are you a servant leader? How are you helping people achieve the performance potential of which they are capable?
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David Hasenbalg is President and COO of Customized Solutions, LLC
He helps individuals and organizations achieve their objectives and their potential
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Dave,
One of the points you mentioned is, ” If someone isn’t doing well at work, 90% of the time it is because they aren’t sure what is expected of them or they don’t possess the competency to do the job at that point in time.”I agree with this, but what percentage of the time do you think it is because the person is not challenged enough in their position?
J
Jason,
You raise an interesting question and one that seems to plague everyone with a boss. Let me redirect your question: What does it mean to be challenged in their position? Does being challenged mean that you want to do work that will stretch your skills and abilities? Does being challenged mean that you have the autonomy to perform work, without much oversight, as you see fit as long as it meets objectives?
There are two sides leadership, one is leadership of others and the other is self leadership. Regardless, a leader should be able to recognize when their staff has the ability to perform independently and when they need more hand-holding. A leader should also be able to recognize when the work is becoming too “easy” and find ways to challenge their staff.
On the side of self leadership, a leader should be able to recognize when the work they are performing is becoming too easy and ask for more challenging work. A leader should also be able to recognize when they are receiving too little or too much guidance. This can then be addressed with your supervisor.
So, to answer your question, I don’t think performance levels are adequately addressed by whether or not you are challenged. Good leaders find ways to challenge themselves and good leaders find ways to challenge their staff. Otherwise, the implication is that it is acceptable to modify your performance based on your perception of how challenged you feel in your role. That isn’t leadership. That is just making excuses.
Thanks for the comment and question. Keep them coming.
Dave