Keeping people who love what they do
As a business grows, people will sort themselves within the organization. As a business satablizes in its delivery of service, there will be a need to have people in all levels of the organization. A leader needs to recognize and nurture both individual contributors and future people managers. This is a tricky part of leading a team. As I have said before and will say again, get to know your team. More importantly, get to know them individually through 1-1’s and find out what they want for their future.
Not everyone on your team will be comfortable with this but some will love it. Through the process of getting to know your team, you will better understand the role that they play and that they have the potential to play in the future. As a leader, you must develop everyone on the team to their maximum potential. Give them opportunity to grow but if they decline, support them in their current role and help them be the best they can where they are. Recognize that not everyone wants to be a leader and not everyone in an organization can be.
Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians is an old saying that might be in need of an update but it holds true. It takes both leaders and followers to build a successful team. In many ways, the people who have found their calling, whether that is sweeping floors or leading multi-million dollar contracts, each bring something useful to the team. By knowing what motivates each person in the organization, a leader can help maximize their value within the team.
People have different desires and priorities. If they contribute to the team and bring value, respect them and thank them for what they do. The owner/leader/manager is ultimately responsible for providing a purpose to the team and helping everyone see their role in its success.
Years ago I worked with an older guy. He was an Army vet, very competent in his role, and interested in making more money than he was as an installer. We talked through the idea of him transitioning into a lead role, possibly taking on management responsibilities for a crew but he was not comfortable with it. Despite his knowledge and experience within the program we were running, he was painfully shy and not a great communicator. He was, however, extremely organized and thrived with a clear set of guidelines and responsibilities that he could execute on a weekly basis. By finding additional responsibilities related to inventory management and organization, he improved the entire team’s work flow, saved other’s boring hours of checklists, and got himself a raise in the form of more hours each week. The guys who just wanted to go home at the end of the week got what they wanted. He got what he wanted and felt great about the result. The business saved money and improved performance. Wins all around. It grew out of getting to know what motivated this particular employee and finding a way to appreciate his talents rather than ignoring his potential to grow.
Look for people within your organization to nurture. Find a way for them to be a bigger part of the team or for them to be truly great at what they already do. If a leader has structured the team correctly, having a few people who just want to do what they are doing now, but better, is a tremendous benefit. Appreciate each person on the team.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to supporting you in any way I can. Drop me a note on LinkedIn, at my email address stratton@downeaststratmc.com or forward my intro blog to a friend. It provides tips and explores management principles.
