From the Ask Tom mailbag –

Question:
Thanks for your blog – I read it regularly and share a few posts with others.

There are definite hiring/management issues at my new job. Been working here, now, 5 months and have seen 10 people let go, or people finding other places to work. Would make your head spin! I feel bad for the people because I feel most were mis-hired. Some are management-employee issues, some personal issues as well. There is always the feeling here that you can be easily replaced.

Response:
It is not unusual for a company, especially a growing company, to experience high levels of turnover. New roles are created. More headcount into existing roles. A growing company is not used to robust levels of on-boarding, orientation and training. It is enough to make your head spin.

The organization has to slow down. In its effort to go fast, it will over-spin its capacity, encounter quality issues, rework and missed deadlines. It has to slow down to go fast.

It is not just more work to be done. As volume increases, so does the level of work. Project management working three simultaneous projects requires different decision making and different problem solving than project management working 50 simultaneous projects. A growing company expects a project manager to make the leap without acknowledging that it is a different level of work, requiring a higher level of capability.

A growing company, in the midst of this dilemma, begins to look for magic potions, command and control unconsciously emerges. Hours get longer, fatigue sets in. In an effort to go faster, turnover becomes an increasing statistic.

The problem appears to be mis-hiring defective people, when the truth is, the hiring manager failed to understand the increased level of work in the role. It’s not just more work, it is different work. Not defective people, defective roles.

Slow down, describe the work.

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