People Problems
People are the heart and soul of an organization so having the wrong people on the team is a major issue.
One of the worst problems is having someone with a fixed mindset and strong need for control in a crucial role. Controlling and fixed mindsets send waves of discontent through the organization, especially for people with the most potential. The results can include lost off productivity, stifled innovation, and high turnover. The challenge may not be easily visible because people in these roles tend to hold a lot of responsibility and often look like high producers. One way to identify this issue is to look for people that hold sole responsibility. When a person does not allow others to perform or participate in a given task, there is a strong possibility that they are trying to maintain too much control.
People problems can also be the result of underskilled individuals. You need to be able to rely on the people you work with. When people are unreliable, it leaves you feeling alone and vulnerable. You may even feel as if all of the responsibility rests on your shoulders.
Possibly the most common source or people problems is disengagement. When people disengage, they only perform at a fraction of their potential and it can be highly contagious. Employee engagement is enough of an issue that we have an entire page developed to the topic.
The vast majority of performance issues are the result of your organizational design, processes and leadership. These issues can impact anybody and make people with the most potential seem like your worst performers. The number of people that are underperforming is a good indicator of individual vs organizational issues. When a single person is underperforming, it is likely that they are not a good fit. If the majority of people are underperforming, there are systemic issues that need to be addressed.
No matter what the source, people problems must be addressed if you want to build a high-performance organization.
Inspire Before You Fire
People who thrive on high performance suffer the most when an organization is underperforming. Your worst performers can also be your biggest impediments. As a result, it can be difficult to tell who is who until you have re-engineered your organization for high performance.
Therefore, Organizational Engineering recommends starting your transformation efforts using your current team members. Give people everything they need to succeed and you may be amazed at the results. This technique builds trust among top performers and allows you to identify who those people are. It will also make it obvious who does not fit with your new and improved culture. In our experience, about nine out of ten people will be able to succeed when you create the ideal environment though these numbers do vary by organization.
Recruiting Top Talent
When you hire, you want to hire the best people you can afford. The best people may cost you a bit more in the short-term but the long term returns are well worth it.
Hiring is a process and it is one of the most important elements of your system. Just like any process, hiring can be efficient and effective or inefficient and ineffective. It may sound obvious but hiring starts with creating clarity around the type of person you want to hire. That clarity is generally captured in the job description. If you get this step wrong, your entire process can break down.
Aside from clarity, the job description is also a marketing document. The intent should be to attract the best and discourage any unqualified people from applying.
The video below provides guidance on writing effective job descriptions. These tips can save you time and money by attracting only top talent and discouraging others from applying. Drop us a call, text, or email if you would like assistance with writing job descriptions or with any other aspect of building a high-performance organization.
Video: High-Performance Hiring Tips – Writing Effective Job descriptions