From the Ask Tom mailbag: Kurt writes,
Question:
I think we all agree that employees should do their very best all day. But how do we measure/align this according towards our company’s deliverables? How do we translate doing your best towards real life results?
Response:
I can do my best and due to circumstances, the desired result may still not be achieved. I can also do less than my best, and due to circumstances, the desired result may nevertheless occur.
Real life results come from the decisions of the manager. It is the manager who decides appropriate resources and adjusts those resources according to circumstances. It is the manager who decides which tasks will be completed and given priority. If a team member’s best performance fails to net the result, it is the manager who should be held accountable for mis-estimating the effort required for success.
It has been my experience that most team members will always give their best.
When a team member fails to give it their best, due to a personal situation affecting the working behavior, I hold the manager accountable. Every manager should know every team member. They should know every team member’s spouse, and whether they play softball or go fishing on the weekends.
When a team member fails to give it their best, due to a poor working environment, I hold the manager accountable for the systems that created that environment.
When a team member fails to give it their best, because they are attempting to take advantage of the organization, violating their contract to do their best, I hold the manager accountable for identifying that behavior and taking steps to either correct it or remove the person from the team.
Tom,
In reply to your translating “Doing Your Best” to real life results blog, I feel you are 100% accurate in the accountability of the MANAGER. I personally feel that the manager creates the environment in which the players play the game. As coach and manager of my team, it is my job to “build” on the strengths of my team and “work” on the weaknesses of my team. In real life situations, you can have a all star team on paper, but if they all play as individuals and don’t work as a team you will not achieve the results desired by you the manager! A great manager has to be engaged in their staff on a level that lets the associate know that they are important and the success of this company relies on their progress and ability to overcome obstacles along the way. In life, we all answer to someone or something of a higher power. The same applies to business, the MANAGER has to be the teams higher power. Without this, the team will lack direction and ultimately fail.
Thank you and have a great day,
Steve Shearer
FTL Territory Manager