IIPM Admission

IIPM Admission
IIPM Admission

Friday, September 26, 2008

The ‘once upon a time’ heroes are now sliders


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Temporary sliders are the exception. These former achievers enter in their descent for the long haul

Que: What do you do about an employee whose performance has declined from stellar to mediocre? Believe me, I have tried talking to this person for several times, but six months have passed with no improvement in results and he is beginning to affect the entire team. Is it time to let him go or what should I do? Please advice. (Anonymous, Nairobi, Kenya)

Ans: Six months of warning seems a little brief for a person who once turned in stellar results, but still, we’d have to answered yes to your question. But we feel you’re onto one of the incontrovertible facts of organisational life. It is very hard to reverse the course of a slider – and that’s what you have to do.

There are other problems also: A high achiever who has checked out and before they begin to suck the team into their negative energy field and drag it down with their poor example. Indeed, this we’ve seen it time and time again: Sliders pollute. We’re not suggesting, of course, that managers dismiss all their sliders at dawn. Sometimes high performers do hit a wall and need time to regroup and restart.

Consider this, they might be working through a personal crisis, like sickness or a divorce. Or they might be bored, and sincerely need your help finding more challenge or even other difficulties in their jobs.

But temporary sliders are the exception. Typically, these former achievers enter in their descent for the long haul. And the reason is not very difficult to understand from former achievers angle:

They think and strongly believe they can. That is, they perceive their previous glory protects them. And often, they’re not wrong. Many organisations do have employees that are sacred cows: the scientist who, 15 years back, discovered the breakthrough compound upon which the company is built; the art director who once won the industry’s biggest creative award and there are more.


There’s the slider whose protective armour is the company’s largest client, which loves him for a terrific idea he had five years ago, and the other side is, the slider whose claim to fame is that she was there, taking customer orders and volunteering for midnight pizza runs, when the company was first started in a garage. So, whatever is the reason, sliders usually begin their progression imperceptibly. One day, they start contributing a little less and usually start showing up a little less too. The result is that nothing happens – there may be a few hushed conversations, but no real consequences – and so the downward spiral will keep on continuing forever.

Eventually, the sliders’ under-performance and the organisation’s lack of reaction become embedded, and the sliders land in an awkward bubble of silence and acceptance. The problem with this dynamic, of course, is that sliders are often organisational heroes, especially to old-timers, and their behaviour sets the tone. For newer employees, who aren’t as familiar with a slider’s past glories, but the impact can be even more damaging and destroying.

Sliders show them that the organisation permits employees who are doing nothing. Either way, a slider’s mood and his under-performance can really change the pace and rhythm of a business. They round off the edge you need to win. It doesn’t sound like you’re there yet with your slider, but chances are high that you will be before long. So, yes, let him go now so he can find an organisation that re-energises him. And know that in doing so, you’re sending a critical message to the organisation. When it comes to performance, the past may be nice to recall, but nothing matters like the present, so focus on that.

Que: This month, after nine long years of education in the United States, I return to my family company, where my father has asked me to lead a major turnaround. It’s a major challenge as most of the upper management team remembers me as a boy of 17. What advice can you give me to change this perception? ( Alister Aranha, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Ans: First and foremost, recognise that the management team that remembers you “as a boy” knows full well that you are an adult now – and you’re back to take over and lead. Indeed, they’ve been expecting your return for a long time. And most of them, if not all, are ready to fall into line and listen to you.

For that, perhaps some credit goes to your hierarchical culture. But even if you weren’t returning to the Middle East, employees at most family companies know the score. You’re the boss now.

Our advice: Do not go heavy on establishing your authority. Instead, spend your time listening to your new team, show your care, demonstrating how eager you are to hear their perspectives and engage their intellect.

Make sure they know you are truly open to new ideas. Show them you are not a know-it-all, but a learn-it-all. Look, if you’re going to turn your company around in the next few years, your new job is really very straightforward and be focused to it. You’ve got your people’s bodies. Now win their hearts and minds and that’s not difficult for you.
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