The times they are-a-changin’! Programmers with great ideas are becoming billionaires, the internet is streamlining small business ownership, and those who seek job stability are being questioned for their lack of ambition. The once normative corporation culture is becoming leaner. We travel (and even talk on the phone) less than we used to. Our conversations on social networks are viewable by millions. The extraordinary advice my father gave me about business is quickly becoming irrelevant. (I would apologize to my Dad but I am certain he cannot figure out how to access this blog).
A young person who is a family friend is on the cusp of greatness as an entrepreneur. He was asking me about the growing pains I had seen among the companies I consult. His soon-to-be retired father looked on from the other room seemingly as interested in the topic as he was. It seems the ideas I shared with the 20 something on building his idea into a business applies to large business managers as well.
Foster Collaboration
I was in an idea sharing session with a young person last week. She was leading a discussion and was already displaying characteristics of micro-management. Her insecurity worn on her sleeve, unwilling to lose control of the group she moderated, and discouraging of team member input that distracted from her intentions. The environment in which she worked forced her to believe that she had to act this way. The opportunity to lead the group came with the potential of more responsibility and the consequence of re-joining the crowd if she failed to exert herself as a leader. Leadership as an entitlement for advancement is not leadership at all.
Great organizations value content over titles. Seniority takes a back seat to productive idea sharing in great organizations. Insecurity of losing a rung on the ladder does not exist when the cause of collaboration trumps the competition for organizational advancement. Ideas should be encouraged through sharing not protected by insecurity.
The best form of validation is seeing the effects of the team winning together. To have an idea adopted and for said idea to assist the collective is anyone’s goal.
Encourage open and honest discussion and adopt idea content into your organizational (or departmental) strategy. People are willing to share when they know their contributions will be taken seriously and applied. Collaboration with an end game instills trust, breaks down organizational hierarchy, and fosters leadership as a collective (not a dictatorship).
Put Down the Baggage
The aforementioned 20 something soon-to-be millionaire told me he felt disrespected among his VC funding elders. “They always shake their heads when I talk as if they think I just rolled out of my dorm room. I want to taken seriously as a businessman. I’m not just a programmer”. Can we all agree that generational stereotyping is a key hurdle in business development in 2012…? Not every young programmer is Mark Zuckerberg. Not every CEO is Jack Welsh. Tenure is seen as a badge of honor by tenured employees and a trait of mediocrity by the superstars of tomorrow. Neither pre-conceived notion is valid….they never are.
Great organizations evolve through new ideas and the ability to streamline them into the company culture. It is a matter of content sharing, decision making, and the relevance of what you do to what the market demands. When you were born is insignificant. We have to dismiss generational stereotypes and move forward together!
Support the Struggle
The battle for talent has been characterized by rewarding top performers. As the ethos states: take care of your best performers and you will retain their services. I’d like to share a different perspective….
In 1989, the formally amateur world of the Olympic Basketball resolved to allow professionals to play in the Olympic Games. What resulted was American dominance in the sport; until 1994. In ’94 the Americans fielded their team of all-stars, developed no cohesiveness, and assumed they would win another gold medal to hang on their mantel. They were wrong! The sport had evolved and ‘team play’ from across the globe was now more effective than individual performance. It turned out the world needed role players as well.
The way to support a winning culture is to consider the strengths of all your players (not just the super stars). You cannot throw a blanket over 12 different personalities and expect them to perform equally to a group goal. Great companies invest time more than money. Employees of varying skill sets can be equally effective if leaders are acutely aware of their motivational hot buttons. Incent the competitive players and encourage the collaborators. Celebrating the role players gives them confidence in their every trait. Top performers will not feel overlooked if they understand that every goal requires an assist.
In summary:
- Internal competition makes top performers more selfish and core contributors less engaged. You are all on the same team!
- Assumptions of employee performance by any means only create unfair expectations!
- Role players are as valuable to winning as the super stars!
Thanks for reading,
Dave Kovacovich