From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I manage a drafting department of 12 people and have been quite successful over the past 5 or 6 years in improving the quality of our work and the morale of our people.

I have a member of my team who has good skills but takes forever to get anything done. In my effort over the years to make him more productive I've afforded him the opportunity to become skilled at many different tasks, each time hoping that this would be the one that "clicked". His production level, however, never improves even after the "learning curve" of any new skill is overcome.

I'm finally facing the fact that this guy will not ever make the shift from being a thinker to a doer. Letting him go is difficult for me though, since I've acted all this time as his "enabler". I probably should have realized his limitations a lot sooner and avoided the situation that I'm in now, that being, having a multi-skilled individual who ironically has become a liability.

What's your take on this?

Response:

Some people master a skill quickly; others may complete a task only after some hard work (which takes time). Your response (training him in many skills) to the amount of time for task completion may have been misguided, making matters worse, even slowing his production time.

1. Determine what you need this team member to do. This should be based on what the company needs from him. What is his role? Write this down. Instead of training him on many different tasks, focus on the essentials of his deliverables. Don't create a role around him. Determine the role and determine his capability to fill that role.

2. Baseline evaluation of the "candidate." This is a very serious conversation. You have had these conversations before, this one is different. Your prior conversations have been searching for something he might be good at. This conversation will focus on what the company needs from him in his role. This will be a focusing conversation. The next conversation will be your evaluation, after one day, of his baseline performance in that role.

3. Improvement metrics. Rather than looking to train him on many different skills, the focus should be on throughput speed in the essential deliverables the company needs from the role. Examine each step in the process that speeds him up or slows him down. We don't need him to learn a whole bunch of other skills, we simply need to get him faster at the essential skills.

4. Evaluate his long term contribution. After a period of three weeks, as a manager, you will know whether his behavior is becoming more effective or staying the same. As his manager, it will be time for you to make a judgment. It will be time for you to make a decision. Is the candidate becoming more effective in the essential role that we have for him? This is a yes or no question.

5. If the answer is yes, then you have a contributing member. If the answer is no, inform your manager that you are de-selecting this person from your team. If your manager has another role which might be suitable, turn this person over to your manager for placement. If your manager has no other role, it is time to release this person to industry.

Every part of this should be explained to the candidate. There should be no secrets. The candidate should understand the consequences of underperformance. At the same time, underperformance does not make him a bad person. It is likely that he will be relieved that he can look for a position more appropriate to his speed level, rather than live in the shadow of underperformance and constant scrutiny. -TF

"She ignores me, like I am not even there," Joan complained, "and I am her boss." Joan joined the company as a manager nine months ago. One of her direct reports was a 12 year veteran with the company.

"What is the behavior you observe?" I asked.

"I call a meeting of my staff, she doesn't show. I walk past her in the hallway and she doesn't acknowledge me. She is focus forward. I have seen personality conflicts before, but this one takes the cake."

"How do you think you will gain her respect?"

Joan shook her head. "I just want her to be nice. At this point, I have about given up on respect."

I waited for the pity party to settle for a few seconds. "First, this is not a personality conflict. Second, I don't care if she is nice to you, I just want her respect."

"Yeah, right, how is that going to happen?"

"It is really very simple. All you have to do is bring value to her thinking and her work. Stimulate her thinking. Help her improve to the next level. You cannot gain respect by giving directives or demanding that she be a nice person. You can only gain respect by bringing value." -TF

From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I'm a new manager for a staff of about 65 people. It seems that my predecessor was not a good manager. I have been left with people who have been misinformed about company and regulatory policies. Anytime I point out something that is being done incorrectly I end up being the bad guy. I've tried to be nice, explain my reasoning and show proof but it doesn't work. They just keep saying the previous manager didn't tell them. One staff member even called another department to complain. How can I get them to listen and comply with rules? Should I start writing people up or just keep explaining myself?

Response:

One thing I learned a long time ago, was that no one listens to me. It doesn't matter how brilliant I am. It doesn't matter how much I nail the solution to the problem, I get no respect. It's the Rodney effect.

Why should they listen to you? Whatever you have to say means a change for them. And it doesn't matter if you are right.

There is one person, however, that they will listen to. Do you know who that is? If you can figure out who that person is and get that person to dispense the helpful advice, you might get some traction.

I have found the only person from whom people will take negative criticism is themselves. The advice has to come from them.

Here is how I would start. I would observe the kinds of things that people are doing incorrectly and take some notes, build a list. Then I would call a meeting to discuss how we could make improvements in various areas. I would describe one difficulty or problem or one process in which we would like a different result. Divide the team into smaller groups of 2-3 to brainstorm ideas to get the best ideas, then invite team members to take the new actions and try them out.

I would conduct these five minute meetings 2-3 times per week, looking at all kinds of ways to make improvements. Pretty soon, they will see new ideas you never thought of. And you don't have to be the critical parent. -TF

"So, your bully has to change?" I continued.

"Yes. You have talked about necessity in the workplace," Miriam replied. "This change is necessary for her to continue to be a member of my team."

"But, can people really change?" I challenged. "You know, we are not psychologists or social workers." I was testing Miriam's resolve.

"You are right, I am not a psychologist. I am a manager. It is not my job to make her change. I can make her aware of the problem. I can create an environment where she can make the change. I can check-in with her about her progress, but you are right, the responsibility for change is hers.

"In the end, I am the manager. It is up to me to determine what behavior is necessary for a person to be a member of my team."

___
Our next Leadership Program in Fort Lauderdale begins February 26, 2007. Visit www.workingleadership.com.

"Fight, flight or freeze," repeated Patrick. "That's it. He freezes, like a deer in the headlights."

I smiled. Patrick was catching on. "Have you ever noticed, that when you criticize other members of your team, they respond differently?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," Patrick nodded. "Sally gets red in the face and starts arguing with me. And Charlie usually makes some excuse about checking inventory, then disappears for forty-five minutes."

"Fight, flight or freeze," I repeated. "Whenever you criticize, you tap into that part of the brain. You tap into the rebellious child who wants to fight, or the compliant child who wants to vanish. Fight, flight or freeze. Which of those contributes to productivity?"

Patrick almost started laughing. "You're right. No wonder I always feel like a critical parent."

"So, the question is still on the table. How can we, as managers, provide corrective feedback that gets a different response?" -TF