THE
SOLUTIONS LAB
Lynn Scott Coaching expert
Challenge :
TEAM LEADERSHIP
How leadership teams can be more successful without working harder
In business : how the Three Fs can help you get the right people on the bus
In my 15 years of working with leadership teams in the public , private and not-for-profit sectors , from SMEs to large international corporates , I have discovered that the things that prevent teams from performing at their best are pretty standard across the board . I also promise you that if attention is paid to the things that get in the way of good performance , then mediocre or even poor teams can become high performing ones .
But there is no magic wand . Paintballs , rafts and tree-hugging won ’ t help you .
What is needed is a focus of attention on what is working and what isn ’ t – because “ burying your head ” is probably not your best option when things are not going well .
There are four major things that prevent teams from performing at their best : The wrong people in the business ; Lack of clear vision , common purpose , direction or priorities ; A leader that doesn ’ t inspire or engage others ; An inability to have honest conversations . In today ’ s column , we will focus on how to get the right people in your business .
Get your recruitment process right
The eye watering financial and nonfinancial costs of a bad hire have been highlighted in a variety of different articles . So don ’ t leave this to chance . One MD I worked with hired what I can only describe as ‘ mini-me ’ s ’. Same gender , same age , same quirky dress sense … Of course we tend to like people who are like us but that is a bad way of recruiting for a business that needs complementary skills and strengths and diversity of thought and ideas . Not surprisingly the staff turnover was shocking . These clones just couldn ’ t work together at all . Once they hired an expert to help them develop a robust recruitment process , the staff churn dropped dramatically .
Get rid of the bad wood
I ’ m sorry , but there is no nice way to say this . Maybe you recruited your friend ’ s son as a favour and , in all honesty , he ’ s not up to the job . Or your accountant was brilliant when you were a small business but they are out of their depth as you ’ ve grown ; or you ’ ve tolerated mediocre performance from some individuals for so long that you feel there is nothing you can do now .
These are all recent examples I ’ ve seen in SMEs . And nothing has been done about it for two reasons : Fear of confrontation linked with a fear of the potential financial implications .
But ask yourself this : How much is it costing the business if you don ’ t address these issues ? Broadly speaking there are three options available to you which I describe as the Three Fs :
# 1 Fire # 2 Further training # 3 Feedback
Fire - Obviously if you want to fire someone you need to follow the correct legal process .
Further training doesn ’ t just mean sending someone on a training course . It might mean finding them a mentor or letting them spend more time in different parts of the business . If they are willing to grow , develop and change then the investment in development may be a good one . But the development should be practical and focused on their real world , not chalk and talk theory .
Feedback – this should be a constant in any business . Not just an annual performance review . Every team member should be clear on :
• What success looks like in the role ;
• What specifically they are doing well ;
• What specifically they need to improve and by when ;
• The support or guidance that is available to them from you and others . Once you ’ ve got the right people on the bus you can start to grow your high performing team .
Next issue : Make sure you have a clear vision and common purpose .
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