One of the foundational disciplines of EOS® is getting the right people in the right seats. While it’s an elegantly simple concept, it can be painful to execute sometimes. Business leaders have to make hard people decisions. So, I always give my teams the same pep talk. Think about how you’re giving someone who’s not a good fit for your business “the gift of success in another organization.”
That line always gets a good laugh. Then I sit back and wait (because I’m a very patient person). As seconds tick by in silence, eventually leadership team members realize it’s actually the truth.
Right Person, Wrong Seat
One of my clients had a person in the marketing seat who was not a good fit for the role. This person was an absolute Core Values fit, but the organization’s marketing needs outgrew their skillset. This is the classic case of “what got you here won’t get you there.”
The Visionary and the Integrator tried for months to coach this person. They took things out of the seat to help. They even took on marketing tasks and issues to help prop up this person. Nothing seemed to help. Every time the Visionary and Integrator did another The People Analyzer®, the results were the same: below The Bar.
Finally, the leaders decided to let a beloved employee go because the seat had outgrown the talent. It was a painful and tearful goodbye for everyone involved.
A couple of months later, the Visionary called me to share the good news. The beloved, now-former employee, had just landed a new job for more money in a city that better fit the family’s needs. Fear and head trash had hindered both the organization’s leaders and the former marketing leader from doing the right thing.
Selflessly Giving the Gift of Success
Sometimes a person may need a nudge to launch into a more fulfilling life and career. Giving them the gift of success in another organization is the most selfless thing you can do for them.
In addition, companies gain two powerful benefits by providing “the gift.”
1. Leaders Demonstrate They Authentically Care
I have one non-negotiable rule for being a great leader or manager: you have to authentically care about the people you lead and manage. I believe the most powerful way to demonstrate that you care is to tell people the truth. Former Ford CEO Alan Mullaly calls accountability a love language. Providing honest feedback is the most selfless thing you can do for a team member.
2. Doing the Right Thing Builds Organizational Trust
Doing the right thing for an employee builds trust within your team and your organization. High-performing employees will leave an organization if poor performers are allowed to stay. People don’t quit jobs; they quit bosses. Ignoring an underperforming employee will kill any trust a leader has earned.
Ready to Give Someone “The Gift?”
Do you have someone on your team who could use the gift of success in another organization? Take time to think about how (and when) you’ll deliver “the gift.” It may not be easy, but as Gino says, it’s only 36 hours of pain before everyone starts feeling better. That’s not even a full weekend.
Afterwards, typically everyone feels relieved and wonders why it took so long to get to this point. Like my clients with the former marketing person, it can free everyone up to have better experiences. It’s the gift that keeps giving.
YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES