Under normal circumstances most people are too busy doing their own job or caught up in the politics and hype to diagnose these things. Our advice
is, make a point of taking a step back from time to time to observe things - to become aware of people and to notice what they are up to.
Let us introduce you to them, we are sure you know some of these people already:
Beachboys
After the 1968 hit, ‘Wouldn't it be nice’ These people fixate on, “wouldn’t it be nice if we could just have this or do that?” They are idealists, that typically run for cover when confronted with reality of constraints or practical advice - Fence sitters that play the politics, or worse blame others or throw them under the bus to avoid being caught out themselves for creating demands or expectations that were never really possible. We have already mentioned this type in the article, The formula for success
Boffins
The 'latest thing, process, tool’ folks, religiously devoted to something. Their importance is related to
evangelising new methods, IT, tools, platforms and policies that often never get used. Once they get their way with new methods and processes (sometimes in cahoots with the Beachboys) you may well be on a journey to a ‘The Emperor has no clothes’ moment. Often very genuine but can put the cart before the horse without knowing it and can cost a packet along the way. Remember that when you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Bakers
The baked in system of consultants, financiers, professionals and gurus. This privileged set often have
well-funded and slick sales teams, influential networks and entrenched methodologies. They are systematic extractors of wealth that know how to work with the politics and power in government and the private sector. Their motto is ‘land and expand’, but their solutions rarely cope with the real problems and their values and conclusions rarely align with those on the frontline actually facing reality. Look around at government agencies right now and ask
who is leading who?
Boot-Strappers
Always trying to extract value, penny pinch and do things on the cheap. Driven by extracting every last ounce
of energy and value out of everything, these folks can unknowingly put everything at risk for the pleasure they get in screwing the price down or having people work every hour of the day and night. Often without real or failed commercial experience, their projects are often poor quality, unsustainable for the suppliers who got screwed-down, and frustrating to be involved in. Often the projects they touch either never get done or require additional
budget to complete.
Bullies
Those that have ascended because they really are bullies from childhood, or who have become this way because they are beyond their station and never really
learned the art of leadership. They tend to maintain a close inner circle of those that are scared of them or are willing to obey them. Sometimes driven by power, ego or perhaps inner fear, they tilt the playing field to drive out threats to them and their regime. (The Bakers sales teams love them as their egos and fears often make them sitting ducks) They find it difficult to learn and transcend their situation because they can’t create the conditions
necessary for innovation, creative endeavor and a culture of trust.
Ok, hopefully you have had a bit of a laugh…or perhaps remembered someone that fitted the bill or does right
now?
The point is though, the more aware you and your colleagues are about the nature of these characters, the better the choices and decisions you can make. Don’t
get us wrong – some of the Infamous 5 traits, if aligned and moderated can actually add real value to the team. It’s the misalignment and lack of controls that’s sapping the energy.
The way to get the Infamous 5 better aligned is simply
to have a conversation about their ‘line of sight’ to your objectives, where they add the most value and what expertise or behaviours they should be dialing up or dialing down. How relevant are they to creating real value or transformation? it’s up to them to prove that they are and then decide whether they align or leave.
AND the good news is that there's a hero in this story, number six on the list of B’s – The Backbone employee.
The bright spots between the ‘shadows’ are the backbone of any well-functioning organisation. Here are some of the
must-have characteristics we’d expect to have in bucket-loads in any transitioning organisation:
- The type of leaders that lead when they need to and don’t go on leadership development courses for the sake of it
- Critical thinkers that try to understand what the problem is before making judgements or leaping into action with a solution
- Listeners, trust and relationship-builders
- Team players that understand what real team-work is and are up for the reality and truth of that
- Grafters that find the real work and do it
- People that think and operate on the edge, strategically and purposefully exploring, testing and pivoting
- People that connect across the organisation and have wide, trust-based networks
- The folks that can hold the space where people AND production thrive
- People that have been employed with this in mind . See Picking people and organisations
Creating the right conditions for success is the ultimate way to help folks get along and deliver success. Knowing who
to employ, how to provide the right environment and what to do to maintain clear roles, relationships and boundaries…. is key to that.
This week’s quote:
Our task is not to bring order out of chaos, but to get work done in the midst of
chaos.
-George Peabody (Mid-18th century)
