It’s not about the nail...or the money...
During breakfast the other day, a former colleague was bringing me up to date on how he was progressing in his current role. I should offer that when we worked together, we spent a good amount of time on his personal and professional development (this shouldn’t surprise you, as you know I believe this is a critical component for high performing individuals and organizations).
He mentioned that he was feeling a bit lost. The organization had many changes happening—strategy, structure, roles, not of which are unusual for this company. While he loves his work, and the expressed mission of the firm, he feels:
- Uninformed; he is a key manager in his department, and is often not included in strategic conversations about the department’s direction or how the department fits into the bigger organizational picture
- Without mentorship; the folks leading the department are not taking an active interest in his development and career path, and, from his perspective, when he asks about his personal path, he is viewed as being self-serving and not about the team
- Uninspired; because he is disconnected from the bigger picture, his perspective is that his worth in the firm is his ability to have his team hit their KPIs. Period.
Does he have some responsibility to make himself heard and to pave his own path? You bet; and that was the first thing I told him. As good as some leaders may or may not be, no one owns an individual’s development more than that person. End of story.
That said, without active engagement in team member development—at all levels, and without clarity and transparency, a high level of employee/associate disengagement should be expected—and this is at every level in an organization. Don’t kid yourself. It likely exists in YOUR firm, in places you wouldn’t expect.
My conversation reminded me of two things:
1. This video:
It really isn’t about the nail—we need to actively ENGAGE and LISTEN to our people. If you’ve read our blogs on having a robust System of Management, you have access to a framework to make this happen. If you haven’t read those blogs, get to it.
2. A sports radio talk show where the host, Colin Cowherd, was talking about the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Cowherd’s story was this – Kobe probably has a couple more years to play before retiring. The Lakers are an AWFUL team right now. Kobe has a few massive individual records within his sight, and he is making a BOATLOAD of money. Kobe is so competitive, that Cowherd feels that at some point, the individual pursuits won’t be enough for Kobe and that he will want to win more team championships – he might even leave the Lakers. What resonated with me most about this was that it is the same in our organizations. Do our people need to have a certain income to live the lifestyle they need? You bet. That said – it isn’t about the money. People want to achieve, progress, learn, grow, contribute, give – to WIN! It comes back to the money, most of the time, when these other areas of their lives are left unfulfilled. If your people are saying it is about the money, examine the rest of the ‘system’ and see if the right components are in place. I’d bet they aren’t.
So, back to my breakfast conversation. Yes, he came back to money and wanting to earn more—and only because he doesn’t feel he is growing, and only because his confidence is very low right now that his leadership will provide him what he needs to develop to his full potential. I sense another free agent coming on the market.
How many future free agents are getting ready to leave YOUR team, and what can you do to prevent that from occurring?
Andrew Freedman, Principal at entreQuest, specializes in helping eQ’s clients grow by creating well aligned company cultures and strategies that result in remarkable client and employee experiences.
