The Hard Truth

23 Feb The Hard Truth

My wife and I went to a great restaurant the other evening.  One we had sort of forgotten about in the wake of the pandemic.  Good food – great atmosphere – even better service.

 

Which is kind of unusual – a lot of the restaurants in our area are struggling – and holding onto employees has become a major issue.

 

We’re not “foodies” – so we don’t qualify as connoisseurs.  But I do appreciate it when the manager stops by and asks about our experience – demonstrates a genuine appreciation for our business – and invites us back.

 

Especially when we see the manager’s perspective reflected in the people that work there.

 

I sometimes struggle when some of our more refined friends steer us in the direction of overly hyped restaurants – especially when the stuffiness is palpable – and certainly when the quality doesn’t line up with the bill.

 

Hey, I’m not cheap – but paying for “atmosphere” and/or the name out front doesn’t go a long way with me anymore.

 

For some reason I thought about all of this as I drove home.

 

I think it’s because a big part of my last few weeks has been devoted to helping clients look at the global phenomenon commonly known as The Great Resignation – which of course extends far beyond the world of fine dining.

 

I’ve come to a few conclusions.

 

First, I think The Great Resignation will turn out to be a blessing.

 

It will become the wake-up call of the 21^st century for a lot of companies.

 

A great many are already reconciling that The Great Resignation is woefully mistitled.

 

It should be called The Great Recognition.

 

Though the reasons for the exodus of so many employees are many (insert – frustration over remote work; pent up career anxiety; lack of job satisfaction; rethinking work/life balance; the search for meaningful assignments, etc. – here) I would respectfully submit that the most common denominator remains remarkably unchanged.

 

It’s the manager.

 

The greatest single predictor of job (and career) satisfaction generally ties back to the quality of the leader (or leaders) you report to – or as a recent Harvard Business Review article’s title suggested, Good Bosses Create More Wellness Than Wellness Programs.

 

It seems a lot of companies must be  coming to this same conclusion.

 

The Great Recognition.

 

Now, the funny thing about all of this – it’s taken a global crisis to uncover a secret that is fairly timeless.

 

When you develop world-class leaders you have taken the first step to a world-class culture.

 

When you ignore your focus on building leaders you inevitably have followers all too eager to move on.

 

In my work as a coach and consultant I invest a lot of time trying to simplify the formula for building leaders.

 

It’s based on a pretty simple question.

 

“What is that we expect our leaders to do here?”  

 

Sometimes, I find the responses to be…generic.

 

“Leaders here are charged with driving results.”

 

“Our leaders place the customer first in everything we do.”

 

“Leaders drive our culture – and we’re ALL about the people.”

 

Wonderful answers. Somewhere a consultant or consultants is quietly smiling – they’ve built fantastic script for a great wall poster or the next company brochure.

 

And a whole bunch of erudite terms that are absolutely worthless when it comes to describing what leaders should be doing.

 

So….let’s try this from a different angle.

 

“What is that leaders do that distinguishes them – your company – your culture – and if you don’t mind, offer me something more than a company banner head.”

 

This generally carries us into the realm of business objectives, profit margins, sales results, key performance indicators, etc.  And for the more advanced organizations – the famed Leadership Competency Model.

 

“This,” some say, “This is what our leaders are charged with.”

 

I’ve worked with some variation of a Competency Model – especially at the leadership level – for decades.  It was given birth in the early 60s, refined greatly in the 80s, and today it’s a staple for almost every company.

 

And I’ve reached a few conclusions.

 

• The intent is notable – the impact is debatable
• Virtually no one knows the particulars of their own company’s Competency Model – and by extension, what’s expected – to include the architects that built it
• Most are just short of “Mom and Apple Pie” in their wonderfully worded descriptors
• A majority are long on verbiage – short on functionality
• About the only time Competency Models weave their way into legitimate dialogue is at year’s end – when managers try to link back employee performance to some semblance of the original model

 

Which goes a long way in explaining why so many employees are fed up – with their company’s culture, with the environment they work in, and with their future.

 

Their leaders aren’t leading.

 

And it might just be because we can’t get out of our own way when it comes to defining the role of a leader – or simply need a Rosetta Stone.

 

At the risk of being reductive, we suggest there might be a better way.

 

The Great Recognition begins with understanding that, in a world of complexity, simplicity is a super power.

 

I’ve invested quite a few years studying transformational leaders – trying as best I can to codify their approach – demystify the magic.

 

It’s been time well spent – companies are lining up to talk about how they can blunt the impact of The Great Resignation.

 

In our client meetings we begin that journey by requesting we forget – for at least the moment – the long-winded Competency Model statements – along with about a dozen other business/management terms that can obscure.

 

Instead, let’s talk first about Capabilities – the overarching umbrella from which Competencies are born – and the great miss for many companies.

 

What is that leaders must be able to do here? 

 

Here’s an example we sometimes use to stimulate dialogue around this very simple question. Talk to any elementary student and ask them, “What do you do if there’s a fire?”

 

The universal response embedded in the youngsters’  minds – Stop, Drop, and Roll.

 

Does that outline everything you must do to survive a fire?

 

Nope – but it does make clear the capabilities you must first embrace.

 

Simple and clear.

 

A great Little League coach impresses his young team with this simple premise, “Guys and girls, we are going to learn three things this year…how to throw the ball…how to catch the ball…and how to hit the ball.”

 

Capabilities outline the base abilities we must demonstrate to perform.  Competencies go on to detail the skills needed to realize those Capabilities.

 

START with the Capabilities – always.

 

Start with the Competencies and you have effectively short circuited the path to excellence. You’ve slid right past the appetizer, the entree, and the dessert and chosen the a la’ carte method.

 

Good luck with that.

 

And when it comes to people leadership – with apologies in advance to those who’ve worked mightily to forge libraries of information on its complexity – there are three Capabilities that matter.

 

Three things that all great leaders understand and embrace. 

 

• They can attract and recruit exceptional talent.
• They can develop and retain that talent.
• They can build the individual pieces into a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts.

 

• Best in Class leaders constantly source great people. But these great people demand much more than generations past.  Research companies like Gallup point out the importance of more than salary and other financial incentives.  The next generation of employees want DEVELOPMENT. Competencies that may or may not support this Capability include – Decision Making, Inspiring Others, Assessing Talent, and Recruiting Prowess.

 

• Best in Class leaders invest in those people – build an environment that people want to be a part of. How they do that ties back to the crux of The Great Resignation.  Growth and skill enhancement are at the very top. Competencies that may or may not support this Capability include – Developing People, Creating Accountability, Communicating with Clarity, and Purpose Driven Leadership.

 

• Best in Class leaders then weave all of this together into a culture that sustains – grows – nourishes. Competencies that may or may not support this Capability include – Critical Thinking, Strategic Execution, Leading Change, Building Relationships, Team Building, and Championing Culture.

 

Which takes us back to The Great Resignation – and the harsh reality so many companies are wrestling with.

 

Those firms that have historically invested in leaders are separating themselves right now.

 

Those who haven’t are panicking.

 

The Great Recognition.

 

We offer clients this simple premise – we call it The Hard Truth – the reality far too many are unwilling to acknowledge…until it’s too late.

 

• Those who cannot lead at best hope to manage
• Those who cannot manage at best hope to control
• Those who cannot control at best hope to coerce

 

For many companies, the “control and coerce” practitioners constitute over 75% of current management – to include, by the way, many senior executives.

 

Right now we are witness to the slow, painful extinction of many of them – but unfortunately, these pretenders are carrying millions with them. We call those victims and their exodus The Great Resignation.

 

There’s a more apt descriptor, of course.

 

Collateral damage.