Morning never shows the day

One of the toughest jobs a manager has , is to manage a team. Where do you spend most of your time? With the top 20% or the middle 50% or turning around the bottom 30% ? If the top 20% of the stack rank, generate 80% of the team productivity, why focus elsewhere? I am guessing, most successful managers would spend a higher percentage of their time with the top performers.

But the question remains how do you grow this bunch? How do you retain them ? How do you keep them motivated ?How do you keep them challenged to stay the course? In this melee of engaging with top performers you might miss out the dark horse. Someone who is waiting for a little nudge perhaphs.The proverbial bell curve capability index could be tricky and could often lead to miscalculations.It could jeopardise your business, and of course someone’s bread and butter.

Generally, as a default reaction,people reject people who are not like them.Or if you see it the other way,people tend to hire people like them and therefore some hiring managers make the classic mistake of hiring folks exactly like them. Which doesn’t mean they are not good, but what’s the point in having a team of clones? Its not a scalable model.Diversity in thought process encourages a manger to grow and learn.It helps the business become intelligent.Similarity might make the system complacent. If everyone in the team is thinking the same…then chances are no one might see the oncoming speeding train at the end of the tunnel.

Standing by someone who is yet to explore his or her true potential might be emotionally draining,statistically silly,and largely unfavoured in the echelons of most management chains.Yet history is replete with instances where history has been re-written when the unlikely Seabiscuit won the race !

Its an incredibly rewarding experience when you know you helped someone evolve.You catalysed the caterpillar into a butterfly.You were instrumental in someone’s life and career.You created legacy.You create a channel for others to follow and grow. So while we continue to focus on the top performers,it is important to keep an eye out for the wanna-shine. They could just be your next top performers….. because Morning never shows the day.

“Every horse is good for something,you don’t throw a whole life away,just because he’s banged up a little”