Keep It Hyper-Focused- Do Your Job

Recently I was working with a client, who like many clients when they call me, was struggling. Great CEO, talented team, excellent product but underperforming and not getting things done with a lingering number of issues including lack clarity on roles/deliverables, struggling to stay on track and of course, accountability--- the not so holy trinity of ineffective work teams/companies. It was readily clear what needed to be done--- and in truth it is not rocket science, but it does take skill, consistency, and brilliance all the same as well as a shift and a deep will to progress.

As one gets older and tries to master their selected disciplines, it seems for me and many of my friends who are dedicated to mastery, there comes a time when you simply want to get to the essence of things whether it be running a business, tying a knot, playing guitar whatever, you name it.? My good friend Jeff calls it getting to the prime factors that make up something.

Also, as one works their craft and grows wiser (hopefully,) you start seeing through the nonsense and distractions quite easily and you no longer want to suffer fools. And so, I am finding this with helping those running or better stated, leading a business. There are so many leadership and business books and models out there, and many on the surface sound great and they just may be great, but they often can become a distraction or deflection and can muck everything up.

So, I got to reflect on a speech I saw by Nick Saben, now former and legendary football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In his speech he was recounting on his time early in his career as a coach working for Bill Belichick- a legendary NFL coach with six Super Bowl rings. Coach Saben’s most significant learning from Belichick was that there was only one sign up for the organization. There were no motivational posters or endless lists of character traits with pictures of bald eagles but rather just one sign. And it said, “Do Your Job.” How refreshing to hear this!

This is a powerful and much needed statement for organizations. It gets to the prime factors. Note that this is more than simplifying things, which is usually a worthy endeavor too in business. It is just a singular emphasis on one statement focusing on what truly needs to be done. It exposes that a lot that is done in business to get employees to complete their jobs can be just distractions, faux leadership and at worst give the impression that something essential is getting done. Often new programs, the latest popular business book or worse yet, a Hot Take on leadership by some self-proclaimed guru, even though they may sound fantastic on the surface often turn out to simply be pablum.

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For “Do Your Job” has critical and prime implications:

1.?????? The job must be well defined. The goals, deliverables and standards are crystal clear. There is no grey area of what your job is. There is clarity without moving targets or ambiguous strivings. And best yet, this can be measured and confirmed.

2.?????? The employee, regardless of level, clearly understands what their job, goals, deliverables, and standards are. Crystal clear in vivid detail! You may have heard me say this many times- “The primary role of a manager at any level is to fully define what success looks like and then coach and hold you reports accountable to this.”? It is THE essential job of a manager. Once I had a boss who was unclear of what it would take me to perform at a ‘5” in the coming year. She irritably said she could not do that. I responded by telling her that was an integral part of her very job. She refused and denied that reality. She was an awful boss needless to say.

3.?????? The determined deliverables must obviously contribute to the overall goals and mission of the company. If they do not, then that is not their job and is irrelevant.

4.?????? Employees must understand how their deliverables contribute (and are aligned) to the overall mission. This is a big drive to keep them fully engaged.

5.?????? Accountability is the Norm. No grey area here! Are you meeting your goals or not? Are you doing your job? Not did you work hard, or you really tried hard.

6.?????? Doing Coaching and development. Now you know what you are coaching to and what you are developing for—to win ultimately, i.e., reach annual goals.

7.?????? Rewards are Activated- The rewards for reaching your goals must be clear. For a Super Bowl winner, it is the Ring, a big bonus paycheck and admiration worldwide.

8.?????? Process (Systems &Structures) must support the People doing their jobs--- form follows function. If the system does not enable people to do their jobs, regardless of how shiny and cool it is, or how much money was spent on that system, it needs to go.

9.?????? Clarity on Standards—Keep it simple and not an endless list of obvious values but clear expectations on quality and how one must conduct themselves, e.g., always be on time for meetings.

10.?? Pay for Performance – Pay people only for doing their job well. And pay them well.

Again, new techniques, the latest leadership model, the newest software, an excel spreadsheets, collaboration software, etc. are fine as tools and can be helpful if they are built around the employees at all levers “Doing their Jobs/Getting their job Done.”? But so often these tools become ends in themselves. “You better fill out that form or those fields right or you are in big trouble.”???? This conversation becomes a distraction to getting the job done when the tool should be an enabler.

You can build a winning culture, have high levels of employee engagement etc. if you ensure that people do their jobs. Be aware of all the actions it implies. You will not and should not have to purchase a culture program to win the hearts and minds of your employees. If you do this well, they will already have been won.

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