What is the most important thing when it comes to personnel development? What can you, as a leader, do to help your employees level up their performance and contribution?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Marcus Buckingham, the author of First, Break All the Rules<\/em>, personnel development is not about trying to transform your employees by weeding out their weaknesses. Rather, it is about building up their existing talents and navigating around their weak areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When designing your personnel development system, keep the following in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Personnel development isn’t about trying to fix your employees. Rather, it’s about developing the unique talents they bring to the table. Be specific and develop a fleshed-out idea of who they are and how they work. To develop a stronger workplace, you have to reject the concept of \u201ctransformation,\u201d build up talents and navigate around weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Hollywood, you see the trope of transformation all the time: the hero discovers their weakness and fixes it for the better. While this story is sentimental and engaging, it creates a false narrative<\/a>.<\/strong> It says that you can make yourself whatever you want to be by fixing your weaknesses and creating new talents to take their place. This concept of \u201ctransformation\u201d is problematic for the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem #1: If everyone has unlimited potential, then nothing makes you unique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If everyone could truly be anything they wanted to be, then no one would have a distinct identity. While you could define yourself through goals or achievements, you wouldn\u2019t possess any unique features that made you stand out. This is because people would always fix socially unacceptable weaknesses and develop new, lucrative talents. For example, if everyone in the world could develop the talent to sing, would singers be unique or special anymore?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem #2: If weaknesses could be changed with persistence, why do people seem to try for years with no results? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When people try their entire lives to fix their weaknesses, they often feel like they\u2019re putting in significant effort only to see little to no change. This futile effort develops frustration and disappointment. While persistence can help you develop skills and knowledge, it won\u2019t give you the talents you don\u2019t have or fix the weaknesses you already possess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, Bo lacks the talent of picking up on social cues. Though he\u2019s tried for years, his brain still doesn\u2019t process his interactions in a way that allows him to note many of the subtle messages that body language<\/a> sends. Through books and classes, he\u2019s learned to see the physical indicators, but he still can\u2019t accurately decipher what they mean. Because he\u2019s poured years of his life into making a change, he\u2019s become immensely frustrated with his inability to \u201ctransform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem #3: If you only focus on fixing weaknesses, you never talk about strengths<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re always pointing out the weaknesses of your team members, emotions such as frustration or guilt will rise to the surface. While employees may have many strengths, all they\u2019ll be able to think about are the areas that you constantly tell them they need to improve. This will lead them away from using their strengths and force them to put their energy into something they can\u2019t change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you manage a bookstore. One of your employees, Helen, tends to avoid interacting with customers but excels at quickly restocking shelves and organizing the store. She currently works on the floor, but you decide you want to try to \u201cfix\u201d her weakness by putting her behind the counter. She\u2019s uncomfortable and ineffective. Two weeks later, she puts in her notice. She loved her job when she was able to use her strengths, but, because she\u2019s in her head about her weaknesses and doesn\u2019t get to use her talents, she\u2019s decided to move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Problem #4: If you have the ability to fix your weaknesses, but haven\u2019t, is it your fault?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking you can fix your weaknesses with hard work and willpower sends a stark message: it\u2019s your fault <\/em>if you haven\u2019t changed. The concept of \u201ctransformation\u201d claims that people who haven\u2019t changed simply haven\u2019t tried hard enough or gave up too soon. When you, as a manager, send this message to your team, you\u2019re telling them that they\u2019re to blame for their weaknesses when the reality is they can\u2019t do much to change the way they are. This demoralizes employees and leads to resentment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You only have so much time and energy. Great managers believe that it\u2019s better for employees to put their time and energy into building their talents instead of trying to change the unchangeable.<\/strong> Great managers use the following rules to help employees develop their abilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When placing people into roles, know the talents associated with each role as well as the talents of each individual employee. <\/strong>This takes a little patience. Watch your employees over time to see how they work and how they interact with other team members. If you like being more direct, ask them about their strengths, weaknesses, and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: this doesn\u2019t refer simply to hiring.<\/strong> You can use this principle even if you have no power over hiring or need to shuffle an employee to a different position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you\u2019ve just been promoted. You\u2019re now the manager of a team of \u201cmarketing associates.\u201d You didn\u2019t have the ability to select any of your employees, and none of them have a unique title to differentiate them from one another. To coordinate your team, you do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Fall for Stereotypes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When putting people into roles, some managers inadvertently place them according to stereotypes. Stereotypes surrounding certain genders, ethnicities, and\/or positions cloud your judgment when analyzing your employees. Be sure to give members of your organization individualized attention and care. Great managers can assess the difference between people<\/em>. They don\u2019t make broad assumptions about the differences between groups of people<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cGolden Rule\u201d\u2014treating everyone the same\u2014isn\u2019t efficient. You need to relate to your employees based upon their individual needs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if Tommy enjoys public<\/em> recognition for his work but Henry prefers private<\/em> recognition, they\u2019re not going to feel the same satisfaction at having a lunch party in the break room thrown in their honor. Where Tommy would probably love it, Henry probably wouldn\u2019t. Instead, praise Henry with a note and a meaningful gift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditionally, managers feel the need to spend more time with employees who are struggling because they think that\u2019s the best approach to increase overall productivity. They tend to spend time trying to instruct or control these employees to increase performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Great managers focus on turning talent into performance, not controlling or instructing their team members. They create ways to help employees unleash their potential through their individual talents by doing the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more talents an employee uses, the more potential they possess. <\/strong>With this in mind, great managers can\u2019t help but be drawn in by their most talented employees<\/a> as it\u2019s a more efficient use of their efforts. As you begin to put more energy into your best employees, keep the following tips in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The phrase \u201cno news is good news\u201d is often used by managers to express that, if an employee hasn\u2019t heard anything from them, that\u2019s good news. This is because these managers tend to only speak with their employees if there\u2019s an issue. However, this belief can be dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of a manager\u2019s job is to promote productive behaviors and remove ineffective ones.<\/strong> Your voice has more power than you think. If you fail to praise productive employees<\/em>, their productive behaviors<\/em> will begin to fall away. This is because people require some level of validation. When you ignore the good work of your strongest employees, you\u2019re effectively telling them that you don\u2019t care about their efforts. This may lead to your star employees acting out or giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When focusing on your best, don\u2019t make promises about the future.<\/strong> Focus on what they\u2019re contributing today. Your words have more power than you realize because your best performers often don\u2019t know that their work is as valuable as it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you should try to be fair, fairness <\/strong>isn\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> giving everyone the same amount of attention.<\/strong> It\u2019s giving attention proportionate to the amount of work a person puts in and the amount of success that they have. While this sounds blunt, it doesn\u2019t make sense for you to invest your time into someone who doesn\u2019t work hard or will never yield productive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, two of your employees, Tabitha and Rolando, are working on separate projects. Tabitha tends to avoid work<\/a> and doesn\u2019t produce solid results. On the other hand, Rolando always works hard and creates strong results. Though you may be tempted to focus on getting Tabitha up to standard, Rolando deserves more of your attention. His hard work and tendency to perform mean that your efforts will yield better results with him than with Tabitha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you spend time with employees who struggle, you gain a clear picture of what failure looks like. However, this doesn\u2019t help you see what excellence looks like.<\/strong> Contrary to popular belief, excellence isn\u2019t<\/em> the absence of failure. It requires a different structure that can only be discovered by studying what works instead of what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spend time with your best employees. Watch them work. You can learn how to help others handle challenging obstacles by observing how your successful employees handle them. Ask them questions. They will often have insight that can guide you in developing strategies. Also, it helps you better understand your successful employees\u2019 talents. This allows you to find the best ways to support them in their work and gives you a guide when hiring new employees<\/a> for similar roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many managers obsess over average figures. Average figures show you the typical output of your organization and develop a level of \u201cacceptable\u201d performance. While it’s important to know the average efficiency of your office, it’s ineffective to use these figures as a barometer for success. You want your employees to be excellent, not average.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t spend time on employees who are below average or average. Instead, spend time on good employees who have potential, but know that it’s hard work to make even good employees truly great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you focus on getting your team to reach a quota, your employees will coast once they\u2019ve hit their goal. <\/strong>For example, a sales team that hits a quota of 100 sales per quarter will coast once they hit it. Instead, praise your top salespeople, use them as an example of excellence, then use their striving talents to continue to push them to excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, you often won\u2019t have power over this as leadership or higher management may require you to set these goals for your team. When this happens, devise a plan that focuses on their striving talents and pushes them to excel beyond an \u201caverage\u201d quota.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on talent doesn\u2019t mean ignoring weakness or failure. Mistakes and poor performance need to be addressed quickly, but you need to address them properly to avoid frustrating employees or wasting your energy.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, ask yourself four questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you answered \u201cyes\u201d<\/em> to one of the questions above, you have direct control over the factors needed to make a change. <\/strong>This is because these questions relate to temporary<\/em> (personal issues) or changeable<\/em> (knowledge, skills, and motivations) factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you answered \u201cno\u201d<\/em> to all of the questions above, you don\u2019t have direct control over the factors needed to make a change. <\/strong>This is because your issue is likely related to talent<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not uncommon to encounter an issue related to talent. No one has every talent related to their particular role. However, in a situation where an employee\u2019s weaknesses are severely impacting their ability to do their job, you need to make some adjustments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A non-talent is a talent you don\u2019t have, but don\u2019t have to use. On their own, non-talents are harmless. For example, if you\u2019re terrible at remembering names, but your position never requires you to meet new people, your non-talent doesn\u2019t impact your ability to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, non-talents become weaknesses as soon as they become necessary to a role or position.<\/strong> For example, if you\u2019re terrible at remembering names, and your new position frequently requires you to meet new people, your non-talent suddenly becomes a weakness. Knowing the difference between the two allows you to watch for the moments when your employees\u2019 non-talents turn into weaknesses and impact performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three methods<\/em> you can use to help someone succeed despite their weaknesses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method #1: Create a system of support. <\/strong>In regards to talent, support systems are tools and methods that help employees turn their weaknesses into non-talents. For example, if someone is bad at remembering when meetings are, have them put a calendar app on their computer that pings and shows a notification 15 minutes before their scheduled meetings. This changes their inability to remember scheduled meetings from a weakness to a non-talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method #2: Pair people together based on their talents and weaknesses. <\/strong>This will create a mutually beneficial relationship<\/a> in which each employee can use their talents to cover the other person\u2019s weaknesses. For instance, say you manage a team of sales reps. Rebecca always remembers names but struggles with her elevator pitch while Frank is terrible at remembering names but delivers a fantastic elevator pitch. With this in mind, you put Rebecca in charge of initiating conversations<\/a> with potential clients and Frank in charge of then pitching the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method #3: Promote individual roles within teams. <\/strong>If you require someone to constantly rotate into a role or task that they\u2019re not talented in, they won\u2019t excel. Rather than requiring your employees to play all of the team\u2019s roles, focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each employee and define their responsibilities accordingly. This allows each team member to use their talents<\/em> while someone else covers their weaknesses<\/em>. Once everyone is in a proper position and talents are balanced, you can build a level of proficiency throughout your team that allows them to cover different roles in the event of an emergency or unexpected development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you manage a retail store with the following employees:<\/p>\n\n\n\nChanging Perspectives on Personnel Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Falsehood of \u201cTransformation\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Build Up Talents<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rule #1: Put People in the Proper Roles<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rule #2: Break the Golden Rule <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Rule #3: Spend More Time With Your Best<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tip #1: \u201cNo news\u201d <\/strong>isn\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> good news<\/strong> <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #2: Focus on your best because it’s the fair thing to do <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #3: Study your best <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #4: Make your good employees into great employees <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Tip #5: When possible, avoid setting quotas and focus on praising excellence<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Navigate Around Weakness<\/strong>es<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Preliminary Questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Making Adjustments <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Step One: Differentiate Between Non-Talents and Weaknesses<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Step Two: Use Methods to Help Struggling Employees<\/h5>\n\n\n\n