OK, I’ll admit, that is a misleading title. Because that is your job. It’s just not your only job.
I coach many leaders who tell me how they agonize over a single individual on the team who continues to create problems and under deliver. They make like difficult where it could be easy. The conversation typically goes like this:
- Me: “How long has this been going on?”
- Them: “Over 6 months.”
- Me: “And how much time and energy have you and your boss expended discussing and ruminating on person x?”
- Them: “Too much.”
That’s why I chose the title above. Your job is to extract the best performance from your people, but there are limits. Part of the job is to quickly recognize who is not going to be able to carry the expected load, and help them find their next adventure. Elsewhere.
But there’s another important truth: Your job is to get the best performance from yourself. You are part of the team. And you can’t do that when you have people clawing away at your energy reserves. When we spend our best efforts on the problem child, the rest of team is underserved, and THEY KNOW IT.
Your mental health is just as important as everyone else’s, so don’t let one person endanger it.
Your job IS to get the best performance from your team, including YOU. Is there a team member holding you and the rest of your team back? Time to help them out…the door.
Thoughtfully yours,
Jeff Skipper
