One of the hardest parts of business is getting and keeping good people. And what makes good people anyway? I used to think that people were just born with a good work ethic; something that came natural, but as time went by I realized that just isn’t the case. Some are instilled with a good work ethic when they are young and some have to learn it along the way.
Each of my kids began working when they were in junior high or high school. In fact, you might say they started earlier than that by doing odd jobs for relatives as early as second or third grade. They were taught by their parents; they were expected to put in their best effort no matter what they did. And we were fortunate that the people they worked for – farmers, ranchers, small business owners – expected the same thing from them. In most cases, they are still close to their former employers and, though three out of four (one still being in college and working) of them have moved on to become pretty successful at what they are doing, if they had need to return to their former places of employment they would be accepted with open arms.
As a business person, you are over-the-top with joy when you stumble upon one of those individuals who come in with the “git-go” attitude. It’s a relief to know you can just assign them tasks and they either figure it out or they find success with minimal supervision. You can see it right away and we have a tendency to look for other people with those “already there” qualities. But the truth is, these days those qualities are harder and harder to find. Many kids don’t enter the workforce at all until they get into college, and sometimes later. With the job market the way it has been for a number of years, employers didn’t want to pay the same wages for entry level high school students when they had experienced workers looking for the same jobs.
It is easy for an employer to get into a cycle of hiring new workers and culling the qualified from the unqualified, simply looking for those who come off the shelf with the qualities that you need. That in turn creates a revolving door of hiring and replacing. But that costs money – drug testing, training, advertising, loss of customer service – it all ads up. If their work habits can be changed, it is much more beneficial to retain than to replace. But changing work habits is kind of like the old joke — “How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.”
Many, if not all, companies have a coaching system or written warning system to help cull the good from the bad, correct bad habits, or give formal direction, but usually those formal coaching processes take time and require time between each step. Additionally, their success often depends upon how a supervisor uses them. I’ve known supervisors who used the coaching process as a threat rather than as a positive attempt at keeping the employee. Another issue with the formal coaching process is self-esteem. If the employee is actually unaware of expectations or trying unsuccessfully, you may create a negative impact by taking the formal route. A formal coaching process should be reserved for those cases in which the issue couldn’t be addressed in a different way.
One of the ways I used to cull through those who can make it and those who can’t was what I called the Fix or Flee method. Mixed with CBWA, Coaching By Walking Around, it can be part of a daily routine. It is far more effective than waiting out the coaching process, and many times, the employee simply needed someone to spell out those expectations or create a challenge in order to rise to their best level. Fix or Flee can be used in the work zone and doesn’t require the formality of the coaching process.
Much like peer pressure, Fix or Flee creates an atmosphere where the employee either adapts or becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the environment. I’m not talking about bullying someone out of a job. This isn’t about mistreatment or about treating one person more favorably than another. Expectations should be laid out for all employees, but sometimes focusing on individual attention is all one needs to succeed. Perhaps they are lost or they simply have never had anyone expect anything of them; that little bit of extra push may be all they need to ignite a spark.
Fix or Flee is creating an atmosphere where the employee knows the expectations are not going to drop. This isn’t about punishing, bullying, burying or creating a hostile environment for an individual. We are talking about gradually adding more to the expectation level. Layering on expectations and tasks, assigning them to the individual rather than the group, builds an environment of heightened awareness. Going back, following up, offering feedback, redirecting, and then adding more elements as they finish creates a challenge. I can’t stress enough, this isn’t about picking on someone or bullying. It’s about letting them know that your expectations are consistent and will continue until they meet the challenge.
If they have a desire to succeed, they will. If not, they will flee. It will be their decision to leave the environment, not because you were hostile to them, but because they didn’t want to work in the first place. They weren’t there for the fair exchange of quality labor for quality pay. It isn’t comfortable to be lazy among those who excel. They will go to the place where the expectations are not so high or where they can get by with less effort. Just like water, they will follow the path of least resistance.
It is amazing when you see someone who suddenly comes alive. Maybe they looked like they were just coasting, but the reality is they didn’t know what to do; they didn’t know what they could do, and you just opened their eyes. I’ve seen individuals who were cast aside by other managers turn into models of excellence. Some of them burned so brightly after those challenges that they became supervisors or key players. Others went on to excel in other ways — college students finding their way, individuals who found their confidence and excelled in the military, people who suffered from self-esteem issues who became incredible leaders.
In today’s world, where so many people don’t get the exposure or satisfaction of working hard and finding accomplishment early in their lives, you may be the only one who can turn that person around and show them their potential. Whether you are in small business or a corporate position, it is important that you try to fix the issues of productivity, initiative, and self-direction before you simply discard that person and move on to the next. It takes a leader to find the potential within their people. Anyone can be successful with perfect people, but people aren’t perfect and true success, true leadership comes from shaping the clay, not just using what comes off the shelf.
