Why do the Good Ones Quit and Leave and the Poor Ones Quit and Stay? Part III

Why do the Good Ones Quit and Leave &rnThe Poor Ones Quit and Stay?
Part III

Why Aren’t They Doing What Is Expected?
In the Average and Low performance category we often find that “People do what is Inspected not Expected.” If you are not regularly checking on how things are going it isn’t long before they forget what you said you expected. If it happens that they forget more than once, have them put in writing what it is that they should be doing and how.

Put another way “If you don’t count it doesn’t count”. When employees see that their efforts are being tracked or counted they pay attention to those things. When performance is posted it says to employees, these things are important and we need you to do them well. You will likely get resistance from one group of employees about this suggestion. Any guesses as to who this might be? Of course, it is the ones who are doing the poorest jobs. Don’t let the inmates run the asylum.

If things aren’t being done, or done at a level that you expect them to be done, there are two key questions that every manager needs to ask. Is it because “They Can’t do it?” or because “They Won’t do it?” There is a word picture* I learned about many years ago that still holds true. If you were to put a gun to their head and say “Do it or your dead” and they still don’t do it, it is because they can’t do it. This should be treated as a training problem. If they do it under duress then it is a motivation problem. This means they just won’t or don’t want to do it and you need to conduct a Consequences Analysis to discover how to get them motivated again.

* This is only a word picture, not an example of a new management behaviour. It is, however, an interesting flight in fantasy when thinking about how to deal with Dusty, Crusty & Rusty TM.

Some Thoughts On Coaching, Counseling & Consequences:
We encourage our clients to make a distinction betwee
Coaching & Counseling when using these terms. They are two very different experiences from an employee’s point of view and experience and send two very different messages. We use the term Coaching when we are providing support, options and developmental initiatives to employees who are performing at an average or high level but there is a need or opportunity to increase performance. It says we care and want you to be successful.

We use the term and process of Counseling, when we are dealing with a consistent or significant gap in performance, once we have defined and explained what is and isn’t acceptable performance. There are far fewer options offered to the employee in this process, and much more monitoring of specific behaviour. If this is a recurring performance issue it is critical that you create bullet proof targets and jointly develop a Performance Improvement Plan with the employee. This document says, this is your job, you are responsible for its completion and we expect you to perform it at an acceptable level.

When an employee breaks a corporate policy such as drinking on the job, violence or harassment, theft or insubordinatio
Counseling should be the first step taken. Each of these infractions should be covered in your employee handbook along with the appropriate discipline and consequences.

Consequences Analysis is an excellent management tool to determine what does and doesn’t motivate employees. Regardless of our intentions, to create certain outcomes by generating consequences, the employee who is on the receiving end is the person who gets to determine whether the consequences are positive, negative or neutral.

Many years ago my sales manager invited the top sales rep for the month along with their spouse, to his luxurious home for an elegant dinner and expensive wine. At first glance this looks like a reward. The problem was that the wives of the sales reps hated the sales manager’s wife and didn’t want to be invited back again. Reward or punishment?

Some Thoughts On Staffing & Managing:
• There was and old joke in the insurance industry many years ago that said “If the person was vertical and could fog a mirror they were a prospect”. In other words, anyone will do. Don’t allow managers to make the same mistake when they need to fill an open position.
• Institute a 360 Degree management feedback process covering all of the core competencies required by your managers
• Conduct skip management interviews with the people below your direct reports to find out what impact their bosses are having on their performance.

Some final thoughts on Leadership, Management and Supervision:
The following are generalizations but hold a great deal of truth.
• Your only a leader if people are following you, otherwise you’re an explorer.
• Don’t promote a technically proficient person and make them a manager just because they are the best at the job. Being a manager requires a totally different set of knowledge, skills & attributes.
• You can lead High Performers but be careful not to over manage or supervise them.
• You can lead an Average Performer in areas where they are strong and manage them in other areas but don’t take away their initiative by supervising every little detail.
• You need to supervise a Low or Chronically Poor Performer with a lot of hands-on and get right down to the specific behaviours you expect from them on every part of the job. Managing or Leading them requires a level of self motivation and initiative on their part that Chronic Poor Performers tend to be lacking.

A Closing Thought:
“Being a manager wouldn’t be that hard or bad a job if it wasn’t for the fact that we have to work with people”. Brian G Dalzell (Kidding – somewhat.)

Not everyone is cut out to be a manager. Be sure that you promote people into these positions who really enjoy the job because few if any organizations will pay them enough money to do a job well that they don’t like.