Published 8/15/2014
My apologies to readers that have zero interest in American football, or more specifically, fantasy football. Even though this article contains good advice for the non-football fan, it will probably annoy the heck out of them.
This article is written for the 36 million fantasy football players out there, some of who may also be in positons to lead real people.
Here’s my message for all of you: don’t even think of trying to manage your employees like you manage your fantasy football team!!
It’s tempting to think there may be some transferrable lessons. Maybe you’ve won a championship team or two, and are thinking, what the heck, if it worked for my fantasy team, why wouldn’t it work for my team of employees?
There actually are some leadership lessons to be learned from fantasy football. For example, it all starts with selection. Smart fantasy owners do their research. They invest countless hours in researching which players to select for their team through the draft. If you miss in the draft, there is little chance of winning a championship.
The same is true with employee selection. Managers who hire “A” players are not just lucky – they personally invest their time in the hiring process. They have clear criteria that correlate with success in the role, and they know how to sort through hundreds of possible candidates to find the right person for the role.
Just like in fantasy football, selection mistakes, especially for key positions, can be disastrous. Some would say the average cost for a selection mistake could run in the six figures! In fantasy football, if you miss in the first couple rounds, you’ll have little chances of winning a championship.
Another fantasy football strategy that applies to talent management would be the importance of always having a “scout team”, or a “virtual bench.” Managers should always be on the lookout for new talent through internal and external networking. The worst way to fill a position is to wait for an opening, and then post it or hire a recruiter. Instead, a great talent manager can always turn to a slate full of already screened candidates to fill vacancies created though turnover. They fill their positions quickly and with confidence.
There may be a few other transferable lessons, but there are WAY many more important differences.
Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t manage your employees the way you manage your fantasy football team:
1. Employees are not interchangeable parts. When one of your fantasy players gets injured or is underperforming, you just need to hit a button and poof; you cut them and replace them with another player. Unfortunately, after working in human resource roles for years at a number of different companies, that’s exactly how some managers choose to deal with employees that are underperforming or maybe dealing with personal issues. They are classified as “hiring mistakes,” when in fact what they often are “management mistakes.”
2. Employee performance can be improved. Wouldn’t it be great if when your star fantasy player struggles, say Josh Gordon, when struggling, or maybe arrested and facing another suspension, you could sit down with him and help him get better? That’s what great leaders do! They don’t just sit back and judge – they take an active role in the success of every member on their team. They coach, they offer training, they motivate, they counsel, and they sometimes have to dish out discipline. When a great leader finally has to make the decision to let someone go, they do it as a last report and view it as a personal failure.
3. Fantasy teams are not real teams – they are a collection of individual stars. Great leaders understand the power of teamwork. They hire for complementary skills, encourage collaboration and interdependency, and know how to turn a group of talented individuals into a high performing team.
4. There is more to organizational performance than individual talent. In fact, Deming would say there’s no such thing as a poorly performing employee – only poorly designed processes. While I’m not sure I buy into that entirely, a manager should always look for systemic issues in the workflow process as a way to improve performance, instead of always looking for who to blame.
5. The power of rewards and recognition. A fantasy football team owner has no way to influence or motivate their team. They can only sit back and watch the numbers – not so with leading people. Great leaders know what makes each and every member of their teams tick. They don’t sit back and “manage by the numbers” in a cold and distant way. They get to know their people, they recognize big wins and small wins, and know when and how to motivate a team member when they need a confidence boost.
Good luck with your fantasy team, but more importantly, I wish you all the best in leading your real team to greatness!
.png)
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire