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Home > Michelle's Blog > Previous Postings > 02/15/07
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Previous Postings |
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February 15, 2007:
That's Not My Job - SkitMy good friend, Maxi Mum, recently landed a dream management job that came with one tiny nightmare: her new staff.
On her first day, the four-person department made up of Everybody, Anybody, Nobody and Somebody fumed and huffed in public tirades and angry whispers. A gritty attitude hovered through the office as they mourned the loss of their previous manager, who, by the way, was fired for incompetence.
One of the reasons the four person team loved the guy was he let them do whatever they wanted, when they wanted and how they wanted. All that basically added up to minimal work being done. We're talking zip. Not only were department goals ignored, but the entire organization suffered as well.
Things were getting nasty so the board canned the fool and hired my friend, Maxi Mum. She raced in with an energy level the size of Mount Everest.
She called her first department meeting with her team – Everybody, Anybody, Nobody and Somebody (all four wearing masks).
Maxi – “Good Morning Team. Thanks for meeting with me today. My name is Maxi and I’m excited to be your new boss.”
Team – Groan, blank stares, "Whatever”.
Maxi – “OK, well, I think I’ll just start by saying I can completely understand how you must feel. Your previous boss was someone you cared about, but know that I was hired to turn the department back around. That is going to require a lot of changes and hard work from all of us.
The meeting stumbled along with vacant stares, hostile body language and even a bit of drool. Chalking it up to natural resistance to change, my ever-optimistic friend marched on.
Maxi - “Now, can Anybody tell me what are the goals of the department?”
Anybody – “That’s not my job.”
Maxi – “Well does Somebody know the goals?”
Somebody – “Nope – not my job.”
Maxi – “Surely Everybody here must know the department goals.”
Everybody – “Not me – not my job.”
Maxi – “So Nobody knows the goals?”
Nobody – “That’s right – not my job either.”
Her every directive, every suggestion and every assignment was met with the same reply: "That's not my job."
There was an important job to do and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
So my friend, Maxi, went to lunch with her friend Mini Mum. She told her all about her new job and this mountain of a problem she was facing.
Maxi to Mini – “One would think in today’s market, you would not have such behavior. It’s like they don’t care if they’ll lose their job.”
Mini – “You have to understand Maxi - In the old days, we hired people for life. Once they had the job, their role was clearly defined by the written job description. Promotions and even demotion were rare. If someone ventured outside their defined tasks, they were looked at with suspicion. Tow the line – do your job – that’s what it was then.”
In the old days, innovation was not rewarded as much as it was resisted. Enter the revolution. Technology created magic as well as chaos. Business cycles spun out of control, leaving a legacy of rusty factories and paperless offices.
With Innovation, success of the company depends on each individual’s ability to excel, regardless of titles or organizational charts. Management must empower its workforce to act accordingly. This requires training and, most importantly, communicating these expectations to their teams, which must clearly state "This IS your job."
So if a manager hears "That's not my job," there are two reasons. The first is that a manager has not communicated the philosophy. That's the employer's fault. The second is the failure of the individual to act accordingly. That's the employee's fault. To that point, management can only yell so loud to make itself heard. After a certain decibel level, it's time to put up or shut up.
Which brings us back to my friend on the next day.
Maxi to her team – “OK, I’ve been thinking about our meeting yesterday and I think I have some ideas on how to turn this department around. It’s going to take a lot of work together as a team, but I think we can do it.
I may be asking you to do things that you don’t feel are in your job description, but that is OK and you must meet my requests. If I don’t feel you are able to do what I’m asking over the next 30 days, I’ll have to let you go from the company.”
Anybody – “Well, if you would tell us why this special work needs to be done, why it matters, it would make it seem more worthwhile.”
Maxi – “OK, I can try to explain the need for the special tasks as we move forward. (Anybody takes off her mask.)
Somebody – “Sometimes it seems like the only reason I get picked to do something extra is just plain bad luck. If you tell me it’s because I’m qualified to do the extra job, I would understand.”
Maxi – “OK, I’ll make sure you don’t feel like you are being punished and I’ll make sure you are the most qualified person.” (Somebody take off mask.)
Nobody – “And if you could point out the positive things like will I learn something new? Or is there a promotion or bonus available if I do the extra work?”
Maxi – “OK, I’ll make sure I accentuate the positive.” (Nobody take off mask.)
Everybody – “You know, if you could show your appreciation, we would be more willing to go above and beyond. Our last boss never did, so you always felt like you were never recognized. Praise is good, but it's not enough.”
Anybody – “Yeah, reward us sometimes. Maybe give us some fun assignments.”
Somebody – “Or let us take an afternoon off.”
Nobody – “Or buy us lunch.”
Everybody – “Yeah, I like to eat.” (Everybody take mask off.)
But whatever you do, make sure employees know why you're doing it. You'll give the extra work a happy ending and make it easier to assign special work in the future. My friend worked hard with her spanking new team who now come in each morning and ask "Now what? What's next? What else can I do?" Because at her company, “It is your job.”