How much time do you spend on the ‘low performers’ in your organization?  If you are like the majority of leaders, the answer is too much!  (But wait, I know…you are special. You are nothing like those “other” leaders. YOU would never spend too much time with the low performers.) Well this advice is for the rest of the world, the majority of those other leaders who do spend the bulk of their time dealing with a few employees.

Low performers drain a leader’s time and energy. Both of which could be used to further inspire higher performers.

It’s also no surprise that low performers bring down those around them. The high performers become frustrated and either leave or conform to the lower standard. They wonder why substandard performance is acceptable.

The high performers lose faith in their leaders.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins refers to organizational cultures that are “rigorous, not ruthless”.  Ruthless is firing people without giving them a chance to develop.

Rigorous is having high standards that are consistently followed. It prevents high performers from getting dragged down by the low performers.  It also allows the low performers to move on to a role or organization that suits them better.

When I was an administrator and was confronted with a difficult employee issue, I would often reflect on Collins’ questions:

1. “If it were a hiring decision would you hire the person again?”
2. “If the person came to tell you that he or she is leaving to pursue an exciting new opportunity, would you feel disappointed or secretly relieved?”

You want to catch the good that is happening as much as possible and coach employees for the occasional wrong.  But the reality is some employee problems cannot be solved with any amount of praise or coaching. That’s when you want to tackle the issue for the good of the people you serve, your team and the individual employee.

Are you with the 80% or the 20%?

We’ve all heard the 80/20 rules. It applies to leadership too. Most people spend 80% of their time coaching the 20% of low performers. Imagine for a moment all the good that could come if instead you focused 80% of your time on growing the high performers! 

Shift the precious resource of your time to growing yourself (that’s right invest in yourself!) and others who are committed to your organizations’ shared values.  People who have proven that they want to do better for themselves and the organization.

Challenge yourself to reflect:  How do you invest in growing the high performers in your organization?  Do you spend time stretching their abilities?  Have you challenged them to push beyond their comfort zone?

If you are at a loss of what to do with those few people that just aren’t stepping up to the plate, perhaps some minor tweaks to your leadership style could help you to create a culture of accountability. One in which there is more time to focus on advancing your best employees!   

With that mind, when was the last time you invested in enhancing your performance or the performance of a superstar on your team? Not just attending a conference or reading a book, but a real growth opportunity that allows you to get beyond any fears, self-doubt and low confidence?

Here are 3 ways we can help you create and support a culture of accountability in your organization.

1. Fearless in the Face of Crisis is our new online, on-demand course that is the perfect way to invest in yourself, a rockstar employee, or your entire leadership team! No one should spend the majority of their time at work feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unfulfilled. This course gives leaders the confidence to take on anything! Click here to learn more
2. Executive Coaching is a no-brainer way to grow and retain key employees!  It works best when people want to perform at their best, not when they are being forced. Let us coach you or your executive leaders who want to be their best. Reply to this email if you are interested!
3. Through our Culture Assessment we can hone in on themes your employees experience in your culture that could be getting in the way of becoming that organization of your dreams (you know, one that produces rave reviews from staff and residents). Our state of the art culture measurement tool will show you the “whys” behind your frustrations and finally put you in a position to fix them, once and for all! For example, why are you always struggling to find and keep great team members? You will never truly know the reason and find the right solution until you measure your culture! Reply to this email to learn more!