The Peak Performer
Back after a gap. Apologies for it. To reconnect the continuity please ensure you go through these earlier articles to get the most out of this one.
The Enthusiastic Beginner was an employee at D1 -
High Will Low Skill. The ideal confluence of behaviors for an Enthusiastic
Beginner is High Directive Low Supportive.
The Disillusioned Learner was an employee at D2 –
Low Will Low Skill. The ideal confluence of behaviors is High Directive High
Supportive.
The Reluctant Contributor was an employee at D3 - Moderate
to High Skill and Inconsistent Will and the ideal confluence of behaviors is
Low Directive High Supportive
We saw that the way to work with a Reluctant
Contributor is to show value in this employee through “Involvement” and “Engagement”.
Involve him in the team’s decision making and problem-solving process. Show him
the trust you have in his abilities and skills.
Give him a few responsibilities to groom the
skillsets of some of the D2 employees in your team. This is a perfect example
of a WIN-WIN-WIN situation, where you impact the will of both D2 & D3.
Ensure that you do not try to impact his skillsets as he is already at a moderate
to high level in them and Directive behaviors might a deterrent to both
performance and motivation.
If these behaviors are administered in
the right manner, this employee is going to smoothly transition into the last
development level for that particular role.
And you have the “Peak Performer”
Ideally all your employees should get
here without moving into D2 or D3… A smooth transition from D1 to D4. Again
when you inherit a team, transition your team members from D2/D3 to D4 if you
get any pre-existing ones; however all new members that initiate the role with
you, must be transitioned from D1 to D4.
This is an employee who has spent a
substantial amount of time in the organization and is close to mastering the
skills required for the role. Due to the high skillset, the performance is also
consistent and rewards and recognition is flowing. Consequently the motivation/
will levels are also high.
So if you plot this employee on the matrix... this is where he would be.
Let us
understand the confluence of Leadership behaviors that he requires.
Since he has almost mastered the skill-sets he does not
require instruction on the what, how, where, why, when or constant monitoring.
In fact, he would go ballistic internally, if you even attempt to do that. So,
Directive behaviors to be on extremely Low burner.
Also, since
he is on high on the will scale as well he does not need high supportive behaviors
as well. This is a self-motivated employee, fueled on by his performance and
mastery.
This is an employee set to take on higher responsibilities and possibly… your job!!!
And it is your responsibility to ensure
that he does, because by now you should made yourself capable enough to perform
your boss’s role. And so, the entire chain of employment
in the organization moves up together.
So, this employee needs to be given responsibilities
and left alone. He needs to be made aware that as a Leader, you trust his
skills and experience to get the results from the responsibilities given to
him.
Do not meddle with his methods, however be available
if he seeks support. And give him support if he seeks it, not Direction!!!
Let him bounce his ideas off you and give him the freedom and authority
to make the decisions. Also let him know that the responsibilities of negative
outcomes would be yours’.
That is going to get him to try new methods and evolve
with freedom.
So the ideal confluence of behaviors for a Disillusioned Learner is –
Low Directive Low Supportive
This is also known as the “Delegating” style of
Leadership where your objective is to groom your own Replacement!!
With that we wind up with the 4 developmental levels and the corresponding Leadership styles to ensure optimum performance of your teams.
Will be back very soon to understand what happens when
we administer the wrong Leadership style to the wrong Developmental Level.
Please stay patient till then and re-read the previous
articles for revision.
CIAO!
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