WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.080 --> 00:00:04.320 Hey, this is Chris with Hacking your Leadership on this week's discussion on employee 2 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:07.519 engagement. I want to talk about a graphic that I saw online that I'd 3 00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:10.919 seen in the past before, but I thought it was an appropriate topic for 4 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:16.199 this conversation. It's a graphic that says leadership or if you are a leader, 5 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:19.359 you need to think like a farmer. Okay, that's interesting. Let's 6 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.879 read what this has to say. And there are some bullet points of things 7 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:26.160 that farmers do or don't do, and it sounds kind of ridiculous when you 8 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:30.559 put it in the context of a farmer, but the tie in too leadership. 9 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:35.079 I think some of these things really do have a good leadership tie in 10 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.960 here, and there are some leaders who may need to think more like a 11 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.479 farmer than they're doing in order to keep your teams engaged. It says to 12 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:45.359 think like a farmer as a leader. You're not supposed to shout at the 13 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:48.920 crops. You're not supposed to blame the crops for not growing fast enough. 14 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.759 You're not supposed to uproot crops before they've had a chance to grow. You're 15 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:56.799 supposed to choose the best plants for the soil. You're supposed to irrigate and 16 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:00.960 fertilize, you're supposed to remove weeds, and you're to remember that you will 17 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.760 have some good seasons and some bad seasons. You can't control the weather, 18 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.560 only be prepared for it. Some of these things are a little eye roll 19 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.719 and cliche, but some of them I think are spot on when it comes 20 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:15.159 to what leaders can have a tendency to do when it comes to their teams. 21 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:19.319 The ones that I think that I see leaders have the biggest problems with 22 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.680 kind of universally, are this idea of irrigating and fertilizing and removing weeds. 23 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:27.760 There are teams out there where one or two people who are not committed to 24 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:32.799 doing quality work but are not being held accountable to that can bring down the 25 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.400 engagement level and the performance level of an entire team. And then there are 26 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:41.439 leaders out there who they spend all their time focusing on trying to hold people 27 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:47.599 accountable that are the weeds, And they don't give any time or anywhere near 28 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.719 enough time to the high performers because they think, Okay, they're already doing 29 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:53.840 well, let's leave them be, when actuality, they should be spending the 30 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:57.439 majority of their time with the high performers, because those are the people who 31 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:00.239 are going to grow and take your team to the next level and you know, 32 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:04.760 be prepared for for you know, future leadership roles. So it's a 33 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.719 it's an interesting conversation to have because you know, looking at it in a 34 00:02:07.800 --> 00:02:12.199 in a very everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten kind of way. 35 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.080 This is what what leadership is from a from a kind of a kindergartener's 36 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:17.599 perspective. It's funny because you know how I feel about these I'm just like, 37 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:20.360 oh, come on, and then you read it like, all right, 38 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:23.000 let me dissect it. Then like doesn't make sense. And to your 39 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:27.080 point that like there's some really good elements of this, I specifically enjoyed that 40 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:30.439 kind of choose the best plans for the soil. Yeah. And and that's 41 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:32.800 a big thing because we talk a lot about talent and people and development, 42 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:38.599 but selection process is so critical, not just in like finding the best talent 43 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:43.520 out there, but also being really conscious of like what the actual job is 44 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:47.960 and like how are you selecting the best talent for the actual job that you're 45 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:53.479 hiring for, right and and and how do people find joy in doing that 46 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:58.159 work, and how do you make sure that the you know, the culture 47 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:02.039 that you have, the environment that you have have is something that is really 48 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:07.319 open for any and all talent, but also that you're adding to the team 49 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.800 and that you're bringing someone in who you know kind of is aligned with the 50 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:14.560 values that you have, but also bring something new and different that will kind 51 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:16.560 of challenge and push. And I think that those are things that you know 52 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:23.919 when it comes to really being conscious of that, I think sometimes I see 53 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:29.439 a lot of times leaders move fast out of necessity instead of taking the time 54 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:32.479 to consider and think about how do you really make sure that your choice of 55 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:38.560 talent, you know, is one that is best for the soil that you 56 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:42.280 have and that will do its most amount of growth and will really make sure 57 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.759 that you're moving forward in the way that you want to move forward as a 58 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:47.919 team and as an organization. Right, So, sometimes the best plants for 59 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:52.240 the soil are ones that may not look like the best plants for the soil 60 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:54.199 because you're thinking long term instead of short term. And what I mean by 61 00:03:54.240 --> 00:04:01.759 that is that I've seen in places where people are into roles based on a 62 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:08.319 specific set of skills that is needed in the moment, without regard to what 63 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:12.759 baggage they bring along with them, or without regard to other skills that maybe 64 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:16.879 needed more long more long term. It's it's what's being thought of is the 65 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.959 problem that has to get solved in the moment, which may be a problem 66 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.959 of the moment. It may be a problem that once that problem is solved, 67 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.519 the the person you've brought out of the team to solve that problem, 68 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.199 it gets solved, and now all of a sudden you're left with a team 69 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.000 that doesn't have that problem anymore, and a person who maybe shouldn't have been 70 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.399 there to begin with because of the the negativity that they bring, or the 71 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:40.199 or the the problems they bring along with them. Where this is done correctly 72 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:45.120 is when leaders can choose the right The right plans for the soil are chosen 73 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:48.240 based on their people skills and and their ability to get along with a team 74 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:53.680 and to influence a team, because the skills of the actual job can always 75 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:59.480 be taught. The skills of navigating an environment with with a diverse group of 76 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:05.160 people and with leaders that have different priorities given the moment and the politics of 77 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:10.040 a situation. People who know how to do that well that's a really tough 78 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:13.720 thing to teach in a short period of time. But the actual job itself 79 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:16.160 or the problem that has to get fixed. All problems, at the end 80 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:19.439 of the day, can be solved if you have the right people in place 81 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:24.319 who are committed to solving that problem. Even if that person doesn't know how 82 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:27.319 to solve it to begin with, if they have the inherent skills to do 83 00:05:27.399 --> 00:05:30.439 it, you can teach them how to do it. And so the right 84 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:32.600 people for the job or the right plans for the soil. It really needs 85 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:35.759 to be thought of long term, not just you know, whatever this this 86 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:40.480 problem is this month or this quarter. One of the other ones I like 87 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:43.600 here is it says, don't uproot crops before they've had a chance to grow. 88 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:50.079 I have absolutely seen people not be given enough time to get better at 89 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:53.879 what they have to get better at before, you know, leaders kind of 90 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:56.879 cut bait on them. And that's really unfortunate when I see that happen, 91 00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:01.040 because typically it means that the leader themselves hasn't put the time into the person 92 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:05.279 to help them grow. You can't just throw something into a place and just 93 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.120 say, okay, go do it now. I'm gonna leave you alone, 94 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.680 I'm gonna do nothing to help you, nothing to support you, nothing to 95 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:15.120 teach you, or to set expectations or provide clarity on what the expectations are. 96 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:17.279 And then three months from now or six months from now, I'm gonna 97 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:20.160 tear you out of here because you didn't do what I wanted you to do. 98 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:24.959 You are there some exceptions to that, sure, but the majority of 99 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.079 time, when a person is put into a role and then taken out of 100 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:31.160 that role in a very short period of time, and it wasn't their decision 101 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:35.199 to leave that role, it's because they were not given the support necessary to 102 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:41.800 do that. It takes a lot more to get a plant to take root 103 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:45.759 than it does to just keep a plant alive once it's there. Once it's 104 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:47.839 there, it can tend to be a little bit more hearty, but when 105 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:51.279 you first put something in the ground, you need to put more care into 106 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.279 it or it will likely die. I want to give some advice to leaders 107 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.279 on what they can do in this situation. If they're reading through this and 108 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:00.839 they're thinking, Okay, maybe I do some of these things is incorrectly. 109 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:03.040 But first I want to give it toward to one of our sponsors. All 110 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.879 right. If you're a leader and you're reading through this list, we'll post 111 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.600 a link to it in the podcast description. If you're reading through this list 112 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.720 of ways to think like a farmer and you're thinking, maybe you need to 113 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:15.480 do this a little bit better, what I can say to you is that 114 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:19.439 there's a leader in my life who has a story that he tells that has 115 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:25.879 always resonated with me, and it's about how his boss came in and asked 116 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:30.480 him what happened the previous day because the scorecard the numbers weren't where they should 117 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:33.800 have been for the previous day, and he very flippantly responded with, I 118 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:39.519 guess I wasn't a good leader yesterday. This is a it's a an eye 119 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:45.120 opening, light bulb blasting moment that you can have here when you realize that 120 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:50.199 the individual day is hardly impacted by you as a leader at all. It's 121 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:56.000 only in aggregate. Don't hold yourself to a standard that says that the failure 122 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:59.160 of a day is a failure of leadership as a whole. Remember you will 123 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:01.639 have good seasons seasons. You can't control the weather, only be prepared for 124 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:07.079 it, and so do your best to focus on the individual behaviors of your 125 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:11.240 team and trust that the results will be there as long as you're doing it 126 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:15.800 over a long period of time. Look for trends and not what an individual 127 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:16.959 day performance is. Yeah, And the only thing I would add to that, 128 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.879 I think is just continual when it comes to like, you know, 129 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:26.720 maintaining kind of the crops and making sure that you're continuing to grow what you're 130 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:31.079 looking for from a cultural standpoint, that that not just removing the weeds, 131 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:35.600 but also because that's kind of like sometimes you'll get somebody who's just not aligned 132 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:37.039 with the values and doing the work, and that's really important as a leader 133 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:41.759 to make sure that if they're not aligned with the values, if they're not 134 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.240 working as a team, if they're not kind of reflective of the culture that 135 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.480 you want, that you have to do your role as a leader to remove 136 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:50.159 them. But I also think that like pruning plants and making sure that like 137 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:54.399 people and like the small things that happen, the small adjustments, the the 138 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:58.080 the the way that people maybe talk to each other, the comfort level that 139 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:03.080 people get over time when it comes to meetings and language and stuff like that, 140 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.320 those are things you really have to keep an eye on and be conscious 141 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:11.519 of to make sure that you know, over time the comforts of growing a 142 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:16.039 team that becomes really close and really good kind of you know, the culture 143 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.919 they've created. There still has to be an openness to that, and there 144 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:24.480 still has to be the ability to people to maintain the expectations that you have 145 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:26.559 around the behaviors, around the way that they communicate and they treat each other. 146 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.159 Those are critical things because what ends up happening over time is that you 147 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:33.879 just allow the little things, the little things of little things, and then 148 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:35.960 six months, nine months, a year from now, the team is in 149 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:39.799 a very different place than they were at that point, and it's much harder 150 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:46.200 for you to bring in additional talent, and people feel welcome and feel like 151 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:48.720 they can come in on day one and have an impact and be able to 152 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.399 work well with the team and the culture. I think I think I's spot 153 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:56.759 on removing weeds. You can't look at a weed as a euphemism for a 154 00:09:56.799 --> 00:10:01.559 person. A weed could be a behavior is exuded out of a team of 155 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:03.799 people or a person, and removing the weed isn't necessarily getting rid of the 156 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:07.519 person it's getting rid of, or you know, kind of nipping in the 157 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:11.679 bud a trend that you're seeing before it becomes a common practice. So yeah, 158 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:16.960 removing weeds is just about making sure that there's some some care given to 159 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.240 the things that have to change or the constructive criticism that has to happen in 160 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:26.639 order to keep the team cohesion aligned, not just you know, the Jack 161 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:30.559 Welsh eliminate the bottom ten percent kind of thing. That's not necessarily what moving 162 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:33.000 wids is. So I like that. I like that clarification. Thank you 163 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.559 everybody for joining us on this discussion on employee engagement. Join us next Thursday 164 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:37.600 for another one. You have a great day.