"Are you happy?" Three mistakes leaders make and how to avoid them
There are mistakes so commonly repeated that they masquerade as appropriate behavior. Here are three such mistakes and strategies for avoiding them.
#1: Asking "Are you happy?"
Imagine an underperforming team member. The temptation is to plan a conversation where you ask him: "Are you happy?" What you are hoping is that the person will have a moment of existential clarity and will respond with something like: "Now that you ask, no, I'm really not happy. The truth is I haven't been happy for quite some time and I'm sure my performance is evidence of that. I think it would be best for both of us if I found a role, either within this organization or with another organization, that is a better fit for my strengths, something that would encourage me to come to work each day motivated to excel. Thanks for asking!"
It's as though you are standing there with a large, heavy box between the two of you and you are expecting the other person to offer to pick it up. Many people, but particularly underperforming team members, are not inclined to acknowledge their underpeformance, to offer to pick up the box for you. No, the difficult work of managing people is that you must be willing to raise the issues that need to be addressed and must guide the person through a process of self-awareness, consistent with your plan - a clear idea of how you would like things to work out.
By the way, "I don't think you're happy" is only slightly more assertive and nearly as ineffective. An underperformer's natural response to either prompt is: "Of course I am. I love it here." Good luck with your next line in that dialogue, unless it's what you should have started with all along.
#2: Becoming the Eye of Sauron
More than once I've been hired to work with a team member who has made a serious miscalculation. Management would like this person to address the problem and move forward. Interestingly what I've observed in some situations is that management is operating as the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Brief setup: When Frodo Baggins, the ring bearer, puts on the ring he becomes invisible to those around him, but immediately attracts the attention of the evil Eye of Sauron.
In Logic I used to teach students about the Fallacy of Misleading Vividness. The Internet thrives on this fallacy. Something dramatic happens and it becomes evidence of some larger truth - in actuality the larger truth is not supported by this vivid example. Auto recalls and airline crashes are examples when people are led to believe that their safety is far more compromised than is realistic. Anyone heard of Ebola?
Be careful when you haven't paid attention to a portion of your team or organization because it appears to be operating well and then all of a sudden your attention is drawn to a significant mistake (i.e., Frodo puts on the ring). Realize that the mistake may not be indicative of the state of that portion of your team or organization. It may be an example that is misleadingly vivid. You may focus your attention to solving a problem that isn't entrenched and is unlikely to recur. Checking in to see what happened and how it can be avoided going forward is fine, but avoid becoming the fixating Eye of Sauron. Make sure you keep the mistake in perspective and your focus on those areas of work that most require your attention.
#3: Neglecting to sniff deep dirt
When you are driving 62 mph past the fields of Indiana (as I was this past week), it is easy to see that the fields are divided into rows, but impossible to see what is down each one.
Leading an organization is like that - you know the structure and connections are there, but you can't discern the details that make up the whole. The key is knowing when to walk the fields and when to keep driving. Presumably you have team members familiar with each row of grain and they are able to communicate the appropriate level of detail to you as the leader. But sometimes you need to stop the car, get out, and walk the rows. You need to experience the details for yourself. (NOTE: This must be done while keeping in mind our susceptibility to the Fallacy of Misleading Vividness.)
A friend of mine is a family farmer. He told me that his son was home visiting and that they needed to talk about important issues. In his words: "It's been a long time since we've sniffed deep dirt together." So many metaphors are dead, they are clich�s because we no longer see their images in our minds as we say or hear them. This phrase is evocative and alive. Sometimes you need to sniff deep dirt - you can't even see deep dirt when you are cruising at 62 mph down a two-lane road.
"Don't micromanage." "Release style while protecting substance." "Spend your life as a leader building into the lives of those who report to you." All true, as is the need to sniff deep dirt!
At Julian Consulting we help our clients to avoid leadership pitfalls and take time, when needed, to sniff deep dirt together! Call TODAY to determine how we can serve you in this process.
