“If you ride a Horse, sit close and tight, If you ride a Man, sit easy and light.” – Ben Franklin, in Poor Richard's Almanack
Picture in your mind a highly functional organization. One where you can give a job to someone to do, and it gets done – well done. With minimal attention from you. A lovely way to get work done. And, a lovely way to live one’s life.
Picture the alternative. Give a job to someone. Mediocre or poor result shows up. Late. After much harassing and haranguing from you. Non-optimal results, and constant aggravation.
It is my (unfortunate) experience that most organizations are more like the latter, rather than the former. Is it luck that brings the elements of a highly-functional organization together? Or is it skill?
Ultimately, it is almost always skill.
There is a tendency for managers to compensate for the weaknesses of their people.
Don’t do it.
If you do, you’ll spend a lot of time compensating for dysfunctional folks. Better to:
Good people will do whatever is needed to succeed. Cherish and protect these!
Give less-than-good people enough rope and they’ll hang themselves. So be it. No excuses – show them the door (be nice, of course).
he exceptions, to some degree, are new hires with less experience. While these folks should not be overly coddled, it is useful to ensure that they are exposed to good people and good practices as early and often as possible, so they have the opportunity to pick up good habits.
This process of natural selection will leave you with a group or a company filled with effective, functional people that can get the job done. This, in turn will give you the apparatus to execute strategy and tactics quickly and well, without sucking your energy by running around to shore up weaknesses. It is an incomparable feeling to know that you lead an organization that can get the job done quickly and well, without anguish and heartburn.
Note that compensating for weakness is different than recognizing weakness. We all have strengths and weaknesses. It is critical to accurately understand your own strengths and weaknesses, and those of your coworkers, and to work through them. For example, I am a good mathematician, but not a great one. When I need some serious mathematics to accomplish a goal, I hire a serious mathematician. I get the job done.
The key really comes down to whether people get their job done or not. If they can’t get their job done as is expected, then replace, don’t compensate.