Obstacles
”People are not the obstacle; they are the objective.”
~ Executive Board Member
We've all heard the adage that despite what kind of company we have or industry we operate in, we are all essentially in the "people business." I initially heard it in the context of valuing the desire and interest of the people that make up all our client bases, but more recently, it seems like employees are the "people" to whom all are referring. All of our employees, after all, are people.
I get to hang out with really high-integrity business leaders, many of whom have embraced a "Kingdom" understanding of their roles. We wildly encourage the ideas of us being co-heirs of God's Kingdom, that we are created to rule, and that caring for the lives of those entrusted to our care is our most incredible privilege and responsibility. While there is a growing understanding and acceptance of that charge, the practical realities of running an enterprise often land on the difficulty of managing people.
People are seen as the problem, not the opportunity.
People are obstacles, not objectives.
People are in the way, not the point.
Our purpose statement carries a great hope: Restoring leaders and organizations to their original intended purpose through coaching. We believe there is a better version of every person and every organization. In fact, restoring honor and hope to leaders is a valuable and necessary step in restoring an organization.
This purpose often slams headfirst into the perspective of owners who see people as their biggest problem. And don't get me wrong, dealing with the multitude of people issues we've seen would lead all of us to the same conclusion. They come by that opinion honestly.
But the only obvious next step if people are the problem is to get new people. This often results in an aggressive "do loop" of hiring and firing. Is that idea uncomfortably familiar to you? As an owner of several businesses and a former leader of several that weren't my own, that cycle is very familiar.
I think that is why a leader saying, "People are not the obstacle; they are the objective.", resonated so deeply with me. They are often not problems we are trying to solve, but tensions we need to manage better. While problems are typically solved through "process," "technology," "coaching," or "people," most leaders typically treat "people" as not only the problem but as the solution as well.
In our experience, the reason that people are perceived to be the problem is more related to:
Receiving very little training (process)
Receiving almost no ongoing instruction (process)
Not being clear on expectations (coaching)
Not getting much support from their managers (coaching)
Not having adequate tools to get their job done (technology)
While people may seem like your biggest problem, our experience has taught us that they are our most significant opportunity. When we make their roles clear, give them good ongoing instruction, training, support, and provide them with the right tools, we can create superstars out of mediocre performers.
People can become our greatest asset, and exiting the expensive firing/hiring turnstile, can result in maximum productivity and profitability.
Consider
Does it feel like people are your greatest problem?
How would your response to that problem change if you saw them as your greatest opportunity?
What do you need to do to best maximize the value of the team you already have?