It’s always amazed me how certain seasons seem to bring out the very worst in human nature.
My law enforcement friends tell me what full moons do. There is clear evidence that the moon has a lot to do with tidal action, but I don’t know if there is empirical evidence that shows the same for bad behavior. It could be a wive’s tale, very much like my assertion that seasons have much to do with people acting badly.
I’m fascinated with extraordinary management and amazing leadership. It’s great implementing it, it’s great considering it from an academic standpoint, and I enjoy helping others with it. My Dad, always the teacher, would have been thrilled that I inherited the teaching gene.
It’s never been good enough in my world to know why it works; I also need to know how it works, and the pragmatist in me wants to know how to artfully apply it. Management science has been constantly progressing during every moment of the industrial revolution, and if the woke crowd does not stifle it, will continue to be even better.
The basics remain the same, though. People want a safe place to work, where their contributions are appreciated (the paycheck is only part of that), and since they are spending at least a third of their life there, they don’t want to deal with idiots.
That’s idiot co-workers, and idiot “management pigeons.” The kind that fly in, eat all the donuts, drink all the coffee, and defecate all over your work.
In short, employees want freedom from Management, Mediocrity, and Morons. Managers need to learn their gut response in dealing with employees is generally wrong (think about how you would want to be treated). There are also few things that need to be handled right now. Slow it down. There are things in the people realm that can’t be easily undone.
Make it right the first time.
What’s almost universally ignored is that managers want that, too. They don’t want to have a group of hyenas reporting to them who feel entitled, because of how long they have worked there or other factors. Sure, leadership has the ability to de-hire those who don’t provide a positive value add or are toxic for the team. But those are truly difficult decisions.
Nothing says “I screwed up” louder than having to de-hire (fire) a recent hire.
Failing to address a toxic employee sends an equally bad message, one where someone needs to tell the leader to “grow a set”
It’s all magnified by a factor of 10 when you’re dealing with someone who’s been there for decades. Add another multiplier when the manager in question is also the man who signs the checks and is on the hook for every penny.
Proprietors deserve freedom from Management, Mediocrity and Morons, too.
There’s a balance here, and employees are part of the equation. They should bring their “A” game, and too often, they don’t.
If you’re leading a small, cross functional team where everyone is customer facing, it is even more of a balancing act. I want to say “your reputation is everything,” and the fundamental truth to that statement is that it applies to the employees, too.
Changes need to be made decisively, and there’s a balancing “spinning top” between the team, the reputation of the team, and what the ego of the proprietor can handle. Poke it the wrong way, and that top skitters across the table into collpase. Nothing good comes from that.
There is always a right decision, but sometimes the “right” decision isn’t the optimal decision. A manager faced with a big enough moron is going to have to make a decision, and it likely won’t go well for the moron.
Employees want freedom from Management, Mediocrity and Morons. So do managers, and your job as an employee is to help the person you report to deliver that exceptional work environment. They can’t do it alone, and you can be a very big part of creating that great place for great employees.
Did I mention you’re only going to do that if you’re working for a good or great employer. Bad employers deserve the exact same treatment as bad employees. I hope you don’t experience either, but odds are, you will.
We get four seasons per year. I tend to think only two bring out bad behavior.
Of course, if that one co-worker leaves for a couple of weeks on vacation and everything runs smoother and better without them, you just might have an actionable item. What say you?
