The Manager’s role, working with the team you have
Some managers spend a large amount of time hiring and firing all with the aim of getting the best team on the ground. They never get to the perfect team using this methodology but they keep trying anyway. They also keep themselves and their teams in a constant state of stress while projecting instability to their clients.
Learning from John Snow
Early in my career, one of my mentors told me that the role of the manager is to take the people you have and mould them into a winning team. If you focus on getting trustworthy, hardworking and those willing to learn on the team, the rest can be learnt over time. Someone reminded me recently, tongue in cheek, that John Snow says something similar in Game of Thrones.
Now I am not saying that you won’t have to fire someone ever. I wish being a manager was that easy. But when you do it will probably be one of those who fail the three test above. It is difficult to work with someone either you can’t trust, who avoids work as much as they can, or is completely uninterested in learning something new. Even then getting rid of them is a painful process at least for me. For most managers, it is the worst part of the job.
Diamonds in the raw
Taking the easy way out is to get a new team instead of doing your job of managing the team you have. I have found that the people you least expect can rise to the occasion if you give them a chance. Showing a team member that you have confidence in them is often the missing ingredient. Many of the people I have managed in the past were from humble backgrounds without the elite education credentials and pedigree people look for in resumes. Many of them have achieved and over achieved because they were given a chance to do so.
When the numbers that you are measured on in that balanced scorecard fade away, it’s the people you have helped to achieve their dreams that become your source of pride and the measure of your success. Look for the diamonds in the raw and help them move forward.