“People” issues are one of the most common frustrations that I hear from my clients (leaders of growing entrepreneurial businesses). Why is that?
The simple truth is that as organizations grow, they become more complex and harder to manage. Managing your people can become one of your big challenges.
I hear the complaints: “they don’t listen” – “I feel like I’m forced to micro-manage” – “he’s just not working out” – etc
Lack of clarity in the organization may be the #1 cause of your people problems
As a leader in your organization, it’s your responsibility to bring absolute clarity and alignment throughout the organization. This includes communicating where the business is going (vision), how it will get there (traction) and each person’s roles/responsibilities along the way (best led by the accountability chart).
I see this often, i.e. there’s a gap that needs to be filled and the knee-jerk reaction is to add people to bridge the gap. This is exactly what NOT to do, throwing a person into the problem without first having a clear understanding of the organization’s needs.
Structure first – People second
The key is to first get complete clarity around the functional needs of your organization, and then assign the people who are willing and able to be fully accountable for the results. Too often, expectations are vague and the talent needed to fully own the outcomes is underestimated.
Always “GWC” Before Hiring
Once you are clear about the functions that run your organization and the accountability around those functions – then it’s time to find the right people to “own” them. From the EOS system we use a methodology called GWC to assess a person’s fit for the job. They must “Get it” (truly understand the nature of their responsibilities), “Want it” (get out of bed each day truly excited about their work) and have the “Capacity” (the skills – experience – competence) to do the job well.
All three criteria must be present in order to assure you have the right people in the right seats.
The next time you have a people issue, you may want to confirm that the functional needs of the organization are crystal clear and that you truly have the right people suited to manage those functions. This will help assure that everyone is rowing in the same direction.
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