Piling on the Performers

​I received this note from a mentor the other day that he found on a social media post. It really hit home for me as I have experienced this firsthand in many areas of life and from both sides. This seems to be common when a team is out of valance and the individuals become the focus and not the team.
 
RIDING YOUR HORSE
In football, they talk about the workhorse running backs that you can give the ball to, and they can grind you out the yards. They do their job. They don’t complain. They push through. 
 
The problem is when coaches keep going back to them because that is their bread and butter. Maybe because they don’t have the quality players needed to add a passing game or maybe they haven’t bothered to develop an offensive strategy as a counter because why should they fix something that isn’t broken.
 
But it will break by overuse - either physically or mentally, and more than likely, both. In today’s workforce, it shows up in the decline of engagement scores. They don’t feel appreciated or valued, so why continue to work at that level. 
 
Coaches, just like business leaders, can panic and become reactive. “Let’s ride the horse that got us here” is a common phrase in sports, but you see it in the business world as well. They don’t want to risk failure by going with an unproven individual, even when it is in their best long-term interests to have greater options.
 
PILING ONTO THE PLATE
“Julie did a great job on her last project so let’s give her this area as well.” This is the standard response when someone is successful. They are proven. They are a known commodity, so let’s give them more - they can handle it.
 
I’ve done it and have had it done to me. As achievers, we are excited for the opportunity to once again showcase our talents. To shine in a different situation. We like the accomplishment. We like the recognition. We like the challenge.
 
Good leaders will also recognize when things need to come off the plate when it is getting too full. In terms of the classic full-plate description of Thanksgiving Dinner, they can anticipate the gravy overflowing the mashed potatoes and getting dangerously close to the edge of the plate and heaven help us if it touches the cranberries!
 
But great leaders can talk to them and assess whether it’s better to take stuff off their plate or give them an additional plate to allow more room. But they also recognize that it’s hard to carry two plates through the buffet line, so they make sure you have another resource to help carry the plate or help in how things go onto the plate.
 
Great leaders give their employees greater responsibility with the resources, development and authority necessary to maximize the probability of them being successful.
 
GROWING YOUR ROLE PLAYERS
I’ve written before about the need for great teams to be made up of people who know their role. People who may not always be the star, but they can star in their role.
 
Communicating expectations to support staff, coworkers, and teammates is essential for clarity and alignment. Making sure the vision is understood by everyone.
 
When you ride your star and put it on their shoulders, you are giving them additional stress and, in some ways, handcuffing them from reaching their full potential because you fail to grow the team as a whole.
 
In sports, you can sign the best player in the world, but if you don’t surround them with the right people with complementary skills AND with the right mindset, you may put up big number, but you will fail to win the big games.
 
It’s the same for work. How are you empowering your team and developing their skills and confidence? Where can they take the lead on projects or sub-projects where they can develop their communication, organization and follow-up skills?
 
Do you have the critical and possibly difficult conversations with your team members on where they currently reside on the depth chart?
 
Do they know their strengths and weaknesses and how they support or negatively impact the team’s success?
 
Have you helped them create a development plan to enhance their strengths and negate their weaknesses?
 
DEFINING A TEAM
I was researching the definition of a team and most every definition started with mentioning individuals working together and then finished with a common goal or purpose. Pretty good and pretty accurate.
 
I would prefer that first they would talk about the collective, a unity or entity that is made up of individual contributors working on a common goal that benefits the greater good. That way, whether you have a star or a bunch of role players, the focus is on the team and how everyone contributes in their own way. 
 
By focusing on the growth of the team and how EVERY member fits into the team, we can avoid the “performance punishment” of your high contributors or Impact Players. You can focus on helping all your people become the Person of Impact that they are meant to be. Growing as a team will ensure the individuals make an impact Beyond Today.

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