Strategies to Carve Birds out of Wooden Blocks
by Larry Wenger
It’s been an observation of mine that one of the biggest problems facing organizations is that we don’t get the most out of the employees we have. We put up with negative attitudes and mediocre performance. It’s complicated because on the one hand, the employee themselves must take some responsibility for their own performance. On the other hand, if leadership doesn’t identify the strengths that employees have; if employees are not respected; if they aren’t challenged; if they aren’t trained and given clear feedback, positive and negative, then leaders are responsible when the work done by employees is half-hearted, sprinkled with mistakes and generally much less than it could be.
A current TV ad for a local senior center prompted me to reflect on this problem. The ad is trying to convey the creative energy that living at this senior center makes possible. The ad shows a man putting the finishing touches on a hand carved wooden bird; it really is a great accomplishment. The ad concludes with the carver saying, “I can hardly look at a block of wood without seeing a bird in it.”
And therein lies the issue. When we think about our employees do we see a block of wood or a bird. At the point they were hired, we saw a bird…we felt like there was a reason to believe that they could make a beautiful contribution to our organization. But something happened…or maybe a series of things. We saw their mistakes; it dawned on us that they weren’t perfect. So what do we do about it?
When it comes to our employees, we do not have a good track record for making birds out of wood blocks. I know, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of commitment and determination. But I think it can be done. Here are seven tips that can help ensure success: (1) start early; don’t overlook those first mistakes. Performance problems, like cut fingers, heal themselves best when cared for promptly. (2) Make sure you know the employee…their likes and dislikes; their personal interests; their professional strengths and weaknesses. (3)Restate your commitment to their success. (4) Provide coaching-oriented supervision…frequently, and make other resources available, like specialized training. (5) Be specific about how you want the employee to behave. (6) Specify a timeline by which you want to see improvement. (7) Be clear about what the consequences will be if the improvement does not happen.
Why did you hire this person in the first place? What was that special characteristic that made you think they could contribute. Find that characteristic, carve it out of the clutter. It’s still there, even though hard to find. It will be worthwhile cause everyone wins.
A current TV ad for a local senior center prompted me to reflect on this problem. The ad is trying to convey the creative energy that living at this senior center makes possible. The ad shows a man putting the finishing touches on a hand carved wooden bird; it really is a great accomplishment. The ad concludes with the carver saying, “I can hardly look at a block of wood without seeing a bird in it.”
And therein lies the issue. When we think about our employees do we see a block of wood or a bird. At the point they were hired, we saw a bird…we felt like there was a reason to believe that they could make a beautiful contribution to our organization. But something happened…or maybe a series of things. We saw their mistakes; it dawned on us that they weren’t perfect. So what do we do about it?
When it comes to our employees, we do not have a good track record for making birds out of wood blocks. I know, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of commitment and determination. But I think it can be done. Here are seven tips that can help ensure success: (1) start early; don’t overlook those first mistakes. Performance problems, like cut fingers, heal themselves best when cared for promptly. (2) Make sure you know the employee…their likes and dislikes; their personal interests; their professional strengths and weaknesses. (3)Restate your commitment to their success. (4) Provide coaching-oriented supervision…frequently, and make other resources available, like specialized training. (5) Be specific about how you want the employee to behave. (6) Specify a timeline by which you want to see improvement. (7) Be clear about what the consequences will be if the improvement does not happen.
Why did you hire this person in the first place? What was that special characteristic that made you think they could contribute. Find that characteristic, carve it out of the clutter. It’s still there, even though hard to find. It will be worthwhile cause everyone wins.
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