Manage on Purpose – Focused Talent

As we continue on the journey of “Managing on Purpose”, we come to people and their talents – clearly the most important variable not to take for granted or act on randomly.  Sure communicating expectations and providing “The Stuff” to get the work done well is an important foundation, but the people who show up everyday will make decisions and act to execute on that foundation.

Here’s a punch in the gut.  People are different.  There is no one size fits all, and even under ideal circumstances, different people will do even routine tasks differently and with different effectiveness.  This hold from the most complex to the most routine tasks.  The education, age, height, weight, and background makes no difference.  Everyone varies from everyone else in doing anything – and it holds every time.

Part of managing on purpose requires that you learn, understand and apply those difference in a way that leads to better outcomes.  This step is easy to do – but hard to carry out.

First, the steps for the easy part:

• Spend time talking to your people one on one talking about their past successes.  What did they do – who was there and what was their contribution to the success of the event.  It does not have to be work related – from winning the state championship in tennis to presenting their winning jelly at the fair – focus on success and their contribution.
• Observe the way they carry out their work.  Don’t judge or correct – just watch and look for the parts of their work they take the greatest pride in.  Is it in the actual repair of something broken, or is it in the interaction with the customer – or yet something else?  Watch carefully.
• Begin directing the work they are assigned around what they love to do and do best.

Second, the hard part.

• You’re going to have to be different.  As a leader you have an orientation to fix or correct – it’s true and undeniable.  To be successful at this you’re going to have to  be open-minded.  The old thinking – everyone can do everything as well as anyone else – is going to have to leave your being.
• You’re going to have to defend your actions.  The people, the union, your boss, even the team are going to think you are playing favorites and treating people differently.  They are going to think this because you are going to be playing favorites and treating people differently.  Gear up.
• No matter how well you listen and apply what you’ve learned, it is not going to work the first time – or the second or third.  It is not an event – it is a process and will take time, patience and humility.  You have to be in this for the long term.

There is no one size fits all solution for the people problem – that is who should do what.  To manage on purpose you have to put the right people in the right place – with the right expectations and the tools to be successful.  This is a three legged stool that will come crashing to the floor without all three.

We’ll talk more.