Are You Managing 'Grass-Eaters'?
And if you are...how can you manage them to potential?
 On a recent trip to Japan (my first) I couldn't help noticing that many internet and news magazine articles kept mentioning how risk-averse the Japanese have become in the wake of years of economic contraction. One article, for example, featured several young college graduates who had chosen to attend local colleges rather than go abroad to study in the U.S. as their parents and older siblings had. "My friends and I, we're just grass-eaters," one of them explained. When asked to define 'grass-eater' he offered this: "You know, a person who prefers to graze in his own home pastures, avoids risk, stays away from new experiences."*
Grass-Eaters and the Risk-Averse Life
This young grad and his friends had actually studied entrepreneurship, yet none of them was considering starting a business. "Well, you kind of have to be a 'meat-eater' to take on those big challenges. I don't think too many people want to make the effort these days," one of them said.
Interesting concept, I thought. I wondered whether/how soon the current economic downturn in the U.S. might produce a whole generation of risk-averse young people here--ah, but that's another article. For now, I'd like to turn my attention to all of those people who just refuse to get 'on board' with new initiatives, the ones who will actually jeopardize their jobs or refuse promotions in order to stay in their comfort zones. We all know lots of them. Maybe some days we ARE them.
One Company's Story: Grass-Eaters vs. Meat-Eaters
Here's an example: one client company that wants to raise its standard of excellence both internally and externally complains that many of its employees actually prefer NOT to do what it takes. They prefer not to take the risk of learning new systems and procedures, even when shown that they can save time and deliver better results. One employee said to me, "Look, the old systems are not so bad. This new stuff is confusing, and it's not what I was hired to do."
Their managers are a different sort (meat-eaters?), people willing to experience the discomfort of doing things differently, of learning, of constructive feedback. They are usually baffled by their employees' resistance and they experience it as plain old negativity.
What Can You Do?
If you find that you too are managing grass-eaters, no doubt you've discovered that labelling them as negative doesn't win you any friends. So what DOES work?
# Provide lots of lead time on any new initiative.
# Make the vision and goals supremely clear. Be prepared to repeat these many times. (Advertisers know they must get a message in front of us at least 8 times for us to internalize it, yet many of us at work and at home expect to say something only ONCE!?!)
# Listen face-to-face to employee's concerns. (And don't follow with "yeah but....")
# Demonstrate respect for concerns, but set measurable goals for accomplishment and hold people accountable.
# Squash rumors fast. This is best done by old-fashioned MBWA (Management By Walking Around). "What have you heard? ...Here's the actual truth," etc.
# Provide training in dealing with change, and understand that people move through change at different rates--almost none of them at YOUR rate!
# Reward baby steps.
# Recognize that a few people still won't be able to make the longer journey with you. Be kind but clear with them.
*In the interest of accuracy, I should mention that the term 'grass-eaters' includes a subset of effeminate men in Japan who wear make-up and opt out of all male stereotypes, including risk-taking and aggression in their work. | 
