Thinking in pictures, seeing circumstances as a series of cause and effects, and using theoretical models or mental models as guides for making decisions comes natural to about 50% of the population. To 50% of the population seeing things in this perspective is a bit more of a challenge. It isn’t a matter of intelligence or education. It is a matter of natural preference for how we see the world. However, for all of us learning to see and use mental models as decision-making aids can be very beneficial.
Simple 2 X 2 matrices are easy to remember, can represent a wide variety of situations in a simple format, and can help you sort out complex situations and reduce them to a manageable few set of circumstances upon which to base your decision. The model below is a great tool for sorting out the impact any employee has on the performance and culture of an organization. However, it is particularly useful in sorting out the importance of a manager’s or supervisor’s performance versus their impact on the culture of the organization. If you believe as I do that the more a manager or leader understands the importance and visibility their role plays in shaping both the organizational culture and the results they are able to achieve, the more valuable this model becomes as a tool for decision making. Here is the model…
Culture
So how do you read the matrix and how do you use it to make effective decisions?
Time Bombs – you all know who these employees are. They are the ones infecting everyone else with negative attitudes, rumor and innuendo, etc. They may be good performers despite their negative attitude, but you can’t afford to have them infect others and undermine the performance-based culture you are trying to foster. They are carriers of infectious diseases. Get your documentation in order and terminate them before they infect other good performers.
Losers - This group of employees don’t ‘get it’. They don’t understand the culture you are trying to create nor are they performing. They are the one’s you’ve tried to train, you have tried to motivate and they just don’t respond. The difference between the Losers and the Time Bombs is the Losers aren’t infecting others so they are less dangerous. Identify them, try to rehabilitate them, and if unsuccessful, terminate them.
Positive Potentials – This group is probably the majority of your employees. They are solid contributors and they behave according to the organizational values. Nothing really wrong only you know they have more potential and could become real Superstars. Corrective action and coaching can get them to step up to the challenge and become real leaders.
Superstars – Their name describes their behavior and value. They understand what is expected and why it is important, they are leaders, they are high producers, and they positively influence the behavior of others. These are the real keepers. They are early adopters and the leaders who help move your organization forward toward your goals.
Very frequently I run into situations where managers know an employee is in the Time Bomb or Loser category, but they haven’t 1) documented the employee’s performance or 2) talked with the employee. When I ask them why, they often say, because it is so hard to hire employees that I can’t afford to lose them. My position is that it is better to have fewer employees who are either Positive Potentials or Superstars than to deal with the ‘carrying costs’ of managing the poor performers. You all know how much time you spend trying to manage the behavior and performance of these few when your effort would be so much more enjoyable, rewarding and productive if it were spent helping and developing the majority who really produce and help you achieve your goals. It’s the 80/20 rule, but we get caught up in spending 80% of our time on the wrong group of employees.
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