We employees are a strange bunch.
We are human, imperfect, frustrated with ourselves at times, and desire to be successful.
Employees are frustrating to management because of our imperfections.
A business leader has a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished.
The leader paints a clear picture and turns the team loose to get it done.
And it doesn’t get done…
What went wrong?
Well, there are several potential reasons for this failure or partial success.
But it all boils down to one simple problem – the employees are individuals that all come to this job with varied backgrounds, experiences, fears, focuses, and chips on their shoulders!
The human equation means directing a team to focus on the target is very difficult.
It means learning about each team member, or if the group is large, learning about the team leaders/managers.
Once a manager spends time with these people, she or he can learn to direct and motivate them.
Nowhere is this more evident in the Millennial generation where they are not willing to be lined up like robots to go attack a problem.
These Millennials need to be sold on the reason why they should rise up out of the foxholes and attach the enemy (e.g., project completion date).
This is why a crisis, like an office building burning down, brings the team together to get the company back up and running as soon as possible.
The employees have a common enemy (the catastrophic fire) that needs to be overcome so they can keep the company in business.
Without an external issue like that, employees are not going to sacrifice their time and endless energy for normal everyday activities.
Managers need to remember that regular activities can become boring and employees are not going to give it they’re all for the everyday work.
It is no trick to be successful with a perfect workforce.
It the essence of great leadership to lead a team of imperfect people toward great success.
When I made mistakes in my work and frustrated my manager, I explained that if she or he wanted a perfect employee, we should start the process of ending my tenure there. Perfect, I ain’t.
A good manager looks at each person with unique skills, background, and ideas.
That mixture of different personalities will make the overall team successful.
Don’t be frustrated at the different personalities and imperfections…celebrate them!