You as a manager or leader are illogical. While not ill-intended, the way in which you interact with your direct reports often disregards the rules of logic and weakens your organization. Here’s a test of logic: taking inventory of the amount of time you spend with your team of direct reports, how much time do you spend with your “low performers” and how much time you spend with your “high performers?”
Those of you that tend to spend more time with low performers are illogical – here’s why:
1. Low performers by definition are operating below the average level of performance on your team. The inverse of course means there are just as many high performers on your team.
2. An investment of your time in improving low performers will help them get from below average to average. An investment of time in your high performers will help them raise their already above average results, strengthening your team.
3. Time is a finite resource, meaning time spent with low performers is time taken from high performers. Time taken from high performers will ultimately weaken their skills and abilities. This will weaken the overall performance of your team.
4. As a resource, time should be allocated where it can positively impact team results. Therefore, the most efficient use of time would be to spend a disproportionate amount of time with your high performers. Low performance issues should be handled swiftly to conserve your time for your high performers.
So, in the future if you find yourself complaining about all the time you are spending with your low performers, challenge yourself to remain logical and spend your time and resources on your high performers.
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Tags: Beyond the Jargon, Calibra, Leadership Development, Paul Dillenburg, Talent Management, Team Dynamics, team effectiveness
