SEE YOU THERE FOR MORE UNCOMMON CONTRIBUTIONS!
Uncommonly Yours,
Julie Lynch, Principal
Uncommon Consulting
www.uncommonconsulting.com
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Toughest Weed of Them All
The Fallen Star Weed: This one is tough. Several organizations I’ve worked with have struggled with this one and in each case, the organizations were undergoing significant industry change. Entire business models were shifting.
Unfortunately, the revenue wasn’t shifting as fast as the models which required the organizations to preserve the existing streams as well as they could while they reshaped for the new environment.
The J.M. Torrels quote applies perfectly here. An employee who, in the “old” business, was an out and out star performer, was now, in this new environment and through no fault of his or her own, a weed. These long time, high performing, well-connected, revenue producing employees were now becoming obsolete. So of course the plan was to promote them.
What??
Well, yes. To preserve the revenue and retain the employee during a tumultuous time of change, each of these organizations planned to (or did) promote these individuals into a “special” role. A win/win for everyone, no? The organization secures the revenue through the transition, the employee is recognized and rewarded and the organization…well, that’s why it’s not a win/win/win.
The problem with the preservation/promotion approach is that the organization gets a mixed message. The “old” business model and all it represents is the lucky recipient of the political, cultural and HR capital that is desperately required by the organization toward the new direction.
In the best case, the employee sees the move for what it is, understands and accepts the transition role, and is expressly supportive of the new direction whether or not he or she is part of it long term. Worst case is the employee uses the promotion as “proof” that the old business is still intact and will prevail.
A Note on Good Weeds
Weeds do have their good side. Under controlled circumstances, many of them can greatly benefit our gardens and organizations. They hold top-soil (market position), pull up water and nutrients (revenue/clients), help control insects (competitors) and more. If your Fallen Star Weed is one of these – by all means preserve them for the transition.
Gardening Lesson: Remember: “A weed is a plant that interferes with management objectives for a given area of land at a given point in time.” Be honest with yourself, with your star employees and in your commitment to organizational objectives. That’s why you get paid the big bucks.
How to Grow a Flourishing Garden/Organization
1. Good soil / Fertile market and clear business objectives
2. Landscape plan / Strong culture, talent and management practices
3. Ruthless weed management / Strict adherence to cultural and performance standards
4. Respect for all plant life / We’re talking about people here folks. Transform or transplant when possible and treat everyone with dignity.
The Weeds in Your Employ
Here are a few examples from organizations I’ve worked with that have been plagued by weeds:
The Mourner Weed: After a particularly traumatic downsizing of a company, one department had a particularly difficult time accepting the change and supporting the new direction. The entire department including the manager expressed their dissatisfaction by securing and retaining the nameplates of all the former employees and displaying them on the outside of the department area.
Understandable grieving? Absolutely. But when it went unchecked for months, the culture of discontent took on a life of its own and disrupted the team’s ability to succeed.
Gardening Lesson: Conduct a downsizing with respect for the dignity of all affected individuals including both the departing and the remaining employees. Extra attention to those remaining – in the form of communication, resources, and articulating their connection to the future of the organization – is essential. If counterproductive attitudes and activities persist, deal with it early on.
The Loyalty Weed: One organization struggled mightily with a division whose leader was focused more on division success than on organizational success. Employees were instructed not to share information with other departments, to agree with but not to follow through on organizational initiatives and to report positively on employee satisfaction surveys (else be sought out and punished for their transgression). The problem was that the leader was considered critical to the success of the organization in terms of client and industry relationships.
When employees are employed and rewarded based on loyalty to the leader rather then on the meeting of shared and transparent organizational performance metrics the garden can get ugly.
Gardening Lesson: Weeds can have deceivingly beautiful flowers, making it easy to believe that they are adding value. Out of sight, however, under the soil, their roots are spreading and choking out those of other “good” plants. You have two choices: get rid of the behavior or get rid of the weed.
Killer Weeds in the Organization
“Would someone be able to help me identify this weed? I first noticed it in my garden about two years ago. It is spreading and I have found it infesting more soil. When I go to pull it, it launches seeds as soon as the plant is touched. It is the perfect organism that sows its seed when its life is endangered. The roots are relatively shallow so it is easy to pull, especially if I catch it early.”
Exactly.
This quote was taken from a gardening site but could well be used by managers in organizations everywhere. Simply replace the words “garden” and “soil” with the word “organization”. The “weed” in the organization’s case is that employee who compromises your organization’s health, wellbeing, and capacity for change. There are many varieties found in this environment often going by the names “Toxic Employee”, “Resistor to Change”, “Rumor monger”, “Backbiter”, or – often the most wily of them all – “The High Performing Underminer”
Characteristics of Weeds
Weeds grow and reproduce quickly, they crowd out or restrict light to more desirable plants and use up the limited nutrients in the soil. They often have similar characteristics to the plant they are crowding out – making it difficult to distinguish from the “good” ones. And they tend to proliferate in land that has been “disturbed” by outside environmental effects.
Interestingly, by definition, a weed is only a weed if it is growing where it is not wanted. The same growth in a different environment just might be welcome. The agriculturist and author J.M. Torrell defined weeds as: a plant that interferes with management objectives for a given area of land at a given point in time.
Hmmm.
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