It’s easy to simply react to the day-to-day grind. Before most managers know it, they can find themselves in a situation where key talent has left their teams. Additionally, managers may realize they have the wrong people in the wrong positions for the wrong reasons.
Managers Need “Monovision”
The concept of Lasik surgery for eyes is familiar to many. With Lasik, there is an option called “monovision”, which allows the patient to have one eye adjusted for seeing things close up and the other eye adjusted for seeing things far away. The same concept applies to managers as they keep an eye on their teams: the manager must focus both on individuals and on the team as a whole.
Flexing Focus Between Individual and Team is Critical
Getting to know employees as individuals is important and assists managers in setting specific expectations for each individual regarding personal performance, compensation, and career path. However, many managers do not spend time taking stock of the team as a whole to ensure that the mix of current talent and future potential is working well to position the organization for success in the future.
A Simple Assessment Can Make All the Difference
This simple exercise can give managers clarity about the current team configuration and provide insight about what the manager must do to create and maintain key team talent into the future.
Managers can take these 2 steps to get a good picture regarding overall team status:
Step 1: Reflect on the relative rank of the employee’s performance with the rest of the employees as a whole. Is the employee in the top 10%? Top 25%? In the middle? Or in bottom 10%, etc.?
Step 2: Record each employee’s potential, using terms to reflect what the future might hold for him. Is he “Struggling”? “In the right place”? “Needs challenge”? “Ready to Advance”? “Future executive”?, etc. Use whatever phrases are relevant to your organization.
Based on this simple 2-step assessment, a manager can discern support required for individuals’ career development while gauging the overall strength and career trajectory of the team. From here, the manager can create a plan for addressing individual as well as overall team needs.
