Being A Leader – Part 8
December 19, 2008
(Eighth In a Series)
The “Keepers of the Mediocrity”
You know them. They exist in every organization. They permeate every level from the storeroom to the board room. They are the Keepers of the Mediocrity. Just being able to identify them, understand their motivations and minimizing their impact on your leadership can vastly increase your chances for success.
First, I want to say that this express is not meant to denigrate anyone. This is meant as an expression of an organizational phenomenon that challenges every leader. Simply put, a “keeper of the mediocrity” is the person or persons in your organization who have a vested interest in ensuring changes are thwarted. The scale of the change doesn’t matter. These people have found ways to slow down, divert or simply halt even the most obvious and beneficial changes to an organization.
Why people engage in this type of behavior is often debated. Mostly, I’ve discovered it’s a matter of personal need and fear of change. These people are often in roles that have not substantially changed in a long time and they are comfortable with the way things are in the present. Change, whether it is a new process, a change to a computer application or even a new manager, are viewed as a threat or an attempt to get rid of them.
It’s interesting that when I finally identify and talk to these people, they are most concerned about their own personal security and not what is best for the organization. Often times, they view any suggested change as being uniformed or doomed to failure. Moreover, they routinely say that they could have helped make the changes necessary if only someone would have asked for help.
The question is asked, “How do they get away with it?” My answer is always the same. Never underestimate the creativity and depths people will go to simply to ensure their own needs are met. It really boils down to their own personal and individual motivations.
We all have our own motivations for the work we do and the roles we take. From keeping a roof over your head, making a lot of money or just trying to improve the world, everyone gets up each day and pursues their own interests. That is the way of things.
But, the people that I view as the keepers of the mediocrity are an obstacle that every leader must overcome. There are a number of ways to do it. I’ve tried a few methods.
Each of these approaches has their benefits and risks. They should be used in relationship to the organizational culture and your relative authority and longevity in your role.
- Isolation/Quarantine – This approach is probably the one I’ve used the most often. It is best employed in situations where you are new to a leadership role and the organization has a “soft” culture. This is most common in not-for-profits and healthcare organizations. Once you identify a “keeper” embedded in your team that you know you cannot simply move out, take steps to limit their potential influence. Rewrite their job description to keep them within certain, very narrow and necessary functions. Do not involve them in committees or new projects. Take every opportunity to minimize their role. Often, this will frustrate them out over time.
- Negotiation/Reform – Sometimes you find a “keeper” that is really just a frustrated, yet capable, person. When you find one, and it’s rare, there is an opportunity for negotiation and reform to bring this person into the fold. These type of people are usually found in places where reorganizations, mergers or acquisitions have taken place. They’ve been passed over for various reasons and do their jobs, but limit their contribution to the bare minimum. When you have a chance to reform a person like this, it is worth the effort. I have found they are the most productive and proactive champions of your leadership. Gradually increase their responsibilities, mentor them and set a path for them of development and promotion as warranted.
- Brute Force/Show of Power – This is the most dangerous and infrequently used. However, it does have its benefits. This option is dismissal of a high profile “keeper”. Very dangerous to you as a leader, but incredibly effective as a warning and paradigm-shifter to any other “keepers” on your team and in the organization. By getting rid of someone in this way, you send the message that change has arrived and people seeking to forestall or derail it will be dealt with swiftly. It clearly sets you, as a leader, up as an agent of change. It also can draw out your critics into the open, especially those who are “secret keepers of the mediocrity.”
For all of these options, make sure you have a great and open working relationship with your Human Resources department. Make sure they understand what you are trying to accomplish. Make HR your ally and you can develop an effective strategy to minimize the mediocrity in your organization.
That’s it for this series. I hope you have found it helpful. May all of you have a safe and happy holiday season and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!
Being A Leader – Part 7
December 11, 2008
(Seventh In a Series)
Your Responsibility to Grow People
I have never forgotten a lesson learned during what I consider my first “professional” position. As a recent college graduate, I had obtained an entry-level position as a systems analyst at a prestigious children’s hospital. From the beginning, I had a love/hate relationship with my supervisor. As a twenty-something with a degree, I was sure that I could do every job better than the people that were there, including my supervisors. To her credit, she recognized my strengths and weaknesses. She also coupled her patience with some blunt assessments of my personality. Finally, during a one-on-one discussion in her office, she told me she thought I should consider looking for another position. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe my ears. When I asked her if I was being fired, she said “no”. But, she went on to tell me I lacked maturity, patience and the willingness to let others instruct me. I was bringing discord to her team. It was the most difficult conversation of my life (at that time). Finally, she asked me what kind of job I wanted and what I thought I could do well. I looked at her and told her I wanted her job. She didn’t laugh or dismiss it. She looked at me and said that she would teach me. But, that meant I had to do everything she asked. I had to stick to her like glue and work hard to change my attitude, gain experience, increase my knowledge and develop a respect for others. I agreed in a heartbeat.
That conversation was THE pivotal point of my professional life. It was the bucket of ice water on my head that I needed to make me realize I had a long way to grow. To this day, I credit that person with changing my life. Needless to say, over the years, it was a prosperous relationship resulting in me gaining that director title and being prepared for the role by one of the best mentors anyone could ever want. The success of that role propelled me forward to leadership roles in many organizations, including my own successful companies.
The key to this story is that my supervisor knew it was her responsibility not to just dismiss me. She could have, at any point, simply fired me. But, she often told the story later of how she saw it as a failure on her part if she didn’t try to help me. She took her role as director seriously and recognized my abilities, even buried as they were at that time.
In my roles, I have attempted to emulate that experience and model. Even as a consultant and mentor to executives throughout the country, I take every opportunity to remind leaders that they have an inherent responsibility to professionally grow the people they supervise. No matter what level, as a leader, you must make sure that you make that effort.
Its part of the awareness you must have to be a successful leader. Your goal should always be to push people forward. Help them be successful. Help them recognize their own abilities. Even more important, establish a relationship with these people based on frankness and an open communication style.
In every organization, people are looking for that mentor to help them better navigate the hazards of professional life. You, as a leader, should be that person.
Some simple rules for developing your staff:
- Don’t view people as a threat because they aspire to your job. To be sure, there are always going to be those seeking advancement through less than positive actions. Those people can largely be dismissed. Focus on the people that you know possess the talent, determination and insight needed to move forward.
- Never get comfortable in your role as a leader. You always need to be seeking the next opportunity. That’s what made you a leader to begin with and should be the trait you see in those you mentor.
- Always be on the lookout for someone you would want to replace you. I make sure I try to identify someone to fill my chair in every organization I lead. It takes time and some judicious vetting. However, I have created a number of very successful leaders over the years. I first learned this as the “hit by the bus rule”.
Again, I will reiterate you cannot do this for everyone on your team. But, I’ll wager that you can do it with several at a time if you have a strong personality, self-confidence and a clear insight into your goals as a leader.
Next week, I will wind up my series on “Being a Leader” with my favorite topic, the Keepers of the Mediocrity. This is the must-read article in the series.
Being A Leader – Part 6
December 4, 2008
(Sixth In a Series)
The Importance of the Performance Review
I will readily admit that, as a young manager, I failed to see the need for a performance review for myself or the people I managed. At that time, the structured, organization-wide performance review system was something new to everyone. With the advent of centralized HR systems, even mid-sized organizations began to develop and implement standards for performance review and management. Early in my career, I was clearly not a fan. Not because I got bad reviews, but because I didn’t see the point of getting or giving feedback.
Years later, having held leadership roles in a number of organization and managed more people than I care to think about, I have become more of an advocate for the performance review than I thought possible.
To be sure, it wasn’t an easy conversion. But, what has really made me “see the light” is my role as management consultant and paid mentor to leaders in organizations across the country.
Today, more than ever, people need feedback and direction. And, in many organizations, there is precious little of it available on a routine basis. In an average persons daily work life, real feedback on their value, contribution and potential within the organizations is almost non-existent. It’s largely a function, I have found, of the bandwidth of the managers and leaders of the organization. There was a time when a director, manager or senior executive had a staff of people to support them in their responsibilities. With the introduction and penetration of personal computers, networks and personal productivity applications, these leaders are being asked to be more self-sufficient and hands-on than in the past. Not that this is a bad thing. But the result is simply that these people have less bandwidth to take care of the people they manage on a daily basis.
Therefore, the one real opportunity any manager or leader has to provide meaningful, productive feedback to their staff members is during an annual performance review. In most organizations, this is a event that people dread because of the amount of work involved. And, let’s face it, when you know that you’re only going to end up with a 2% merit increase for a years work, it’s hard to get people on either side of the table excited about the review process.
I urge the people that I consult with and support to think of it differently. This is an opportunity to have a quiet, uninterrupted discussion with the people you manage and who look to you for indications of where their future may lead. Take it seriously. Invest the time it takes to really think about everyone you are responsible for and set the stage for a honest discussion when you meet.
Here are some tips for leaders to consider when they prepare for a review:
- Establish A Consequences Free Environment. When you review someone, make sure you let them know that during this meeting, honesty and open communication works both ways. Make sure they understand that they are safe in expressing their opinions and concerns without fear of retribution or impact to their position. There is a bit of an art to this and, if you are not a strong and open leader, will be difficult to do at first. But, the result is really worth it.
- Be Willing To Get Feedback about Yourself. Leadership is a two-way street. So, be prepared to hear about things you do wrong or could do better when you are reviewing someone. You will be surprised at how much you can learn about how you are perceived.
- Keep Your Promises. During these reviews, people often want to communicate their desires and things they would like help with from you. If you say during a review that you will help a staff member with career decisions, educational opportunities or something of a similar nature, make sure you follow up and keep your word. You may think it is not important, but if your staff can depend on you to keep your promises, you gain credibility and loyalty with your team.
- Think About The Person As Well As The Job. Don’t make the review about a strict interpretation of performance against a job description. That is largely a useless exercise and provides no value for either party. Think about the person, their traits and their personality in a holistic way to give them a real insight to how they are fitting in the job, the team and the organization. That is the real power of the review.
These are simple tips, to be sure. But, they are important and are meant to underscore and reinforce the purpose and real intent of a performance review. As a leader, this is a great opportunity to build your team, help people in their careers and learn about yourself. Take it seriously.