What are you tolerating as a leader? How does it impact results?

What You Tolerate You Encourage

I recently came across a post that started with “What you tolerate you encourage”. This was right after I engaged in an online discussion with a Human Resources group. A question was posed asking for guidance on how to tell an employee she is not getting a raise after she notified her manager that she received a job offer from another company for a higher salary. The HR professional who posted the question indicated that this employee was under-performing and the company had no intention of offering a raise to retain the employee. At the same time, the company did not want to lose this employee.

Get to the Root of the Issue

A few HR professionals, consultants, and attorneys provided some recommendations on how to have the conversation with this employee. They advised what to be aware of, legally. None of the responses or recommendations got to what I consider the root of the issue;

• How has this employee’s manager been managing this employee?
• How has the manager been holding the employee accountable?

It sounds to me that the manager, and maybe the organizational culture, tolerates “less than” and as a result, are receiving less than. This is even more evident with the suggestion that they “don’t want to lose the employee” even though she is an under-performer.

Invest in Developing Leadership Competencies

This scenario is a red flag for this company to, at a minimum, help the manager improve their leadership skills. And, it is an opportunity for them to look around at other managers to see what is being tolerated.

How might one proceed with this process?

A few areas that may require attention and/or evaluation include:

• How comfortable is this manager with having difficult conversations?
• What does this manager do to hold his/her direct reports accountable?
• How much emphasis does the organization put on professional development, and/or advancement for employees?
• What type of management style is modeled from the executive team?
• What type of expectations does the organization have of its employees?

There may be many more areas to explore, but from an outside perspective, this is what I am most curious about.

It is all too often, that I hear, and have experienced first-hand, that managers do not have the necessary skills, specifically around having direct conversations, setting clear expectations, and holding individuals accountable. Without expecting employees, and especially managers, to develop and practice these skill sets, companies are missing out on engaging their employees, getting the most out of their employees, and being able, as an organization, to deliver the best results not only internally, but externally as well.

What Does Your Organization Need to do Differently?

What holds you or your organization back from addressing these needs? Or put another way, what keeps you or your organization from wanting to perform at its maximum level? Imagine what might be possible with an investment in your leaders – helping them to hone these skills! Imagine developing an organizational culture that values clear communication, accountability, and professional development. Want to explore what’s possible? Let’s connect.

“Skill in the art of communication is crucial to a leader’s success. He can accomplish nothing unless he can communicate effectively.” – Norman Allen