One of the first action items I suggest when coaching leaders is to assess the team they manage. We look at the members from every aspect — experience, technical skills, people and thought leadership, potential, and risk. From this comes a strategy on how to retain, advance, and enhance the individuals and the team.
An inevitable outcome of the exercise, and its execution, is the identification of weak links. There are many ways a person falls into the weak link category. It’s important to approach the exercise with an open mind. More frequently than you might anticipate, obvious or first glance choices often don’t pass the selection test. Meaning, people you thought were weak links prove to be of greater value than the person you thought essential.
Here are some things to consider when deciding.
Previous performance indicates future outcomes. Regardless of what your financial advisor might say (they never guarantee anything), people who have done well in the past generally continue to do so in the future, whether in this role or another. You’re betting on their record of accomplishment. On the other hand, weak links generally have a history of mediocre or poor performance that has been overlooked or tolerated, even by you.
Historians have their value. Particularly in certain fields, like HR and Finance, but not exclusively those areas. The team member who knows where the skeletons are buried, has been through good and bad times, has a vast network within the company, and understands why certain decisions were made or failed has great value. Warning: the person who lives solely in the past is often a weak link.
Flexibility is underrated. The employee who can tolerate, even thrive, in disrupted or ever-changing environments gives you more options than those who are dedicated to a specific role or philosophy. This might be obvious but a change-resistant person can sabotage a great idea or the launching of an initiative. Inability to “go with the flow” or more importantly, champion the forward movement, is an imperative.
Intellectual curiosity is essential. There are people looking for intellectual challenges and those who could care less. While the entire team doesn’t need to be visionaries, a certain level of desired brain exercising is needed in almost any job. Staff members who are content to keep things the way they are, either because they are risk adverse, incapable of higher thinking, or just plain lazy can be a huge impediment to team success. They make the list.
High potential employees give you options. If you can’t imagine your group member at the next level or in a newly created job, they risk being on the weak link list. People without the skills or ambition to advance often impede growth for others by clogging the advancement pipeline and potentially being the reason newer, better performing, employees leave.
Likeability is easier on everyone. I know this sounds like a dating game and a recipe for a lawsuit but individuals who are likable are better positioned to collaborate, have people help them when they really have no obligation to do so, and are just plain easier to be around. Who wants to manage the person everyone complains about — the naysayer or curmudgeon that people avoid whenever possible? They take too much energy from you and poison the spirit of the group. They are, potentially, a weak link.
Dated skillsets can be deadly. When creating future department plans, innovation, streamlining, outsourcing, or job elimination are always possibilities that must be considered. If within this plan is a function that is no longer necessary, then the person who performs it must either be capable and willing to quickly contribute to another area or risk being redundant. Identifying such people, early in the game, is not only essential but fair. In the action plan, we highlight people at risk and consider options for them. Wait too long and they become weak links.
You’re not going to be in this job forever. People hesitate to write their will because they can’t imagine dying. I hate to break it to them but… The same can be true of succession planning. Many strong leaders have figured out replacements for every role in their area of responsibility but their own. They don’t acknowledge they’re stalling their advancement because an obvious replacement is not in the wings. No disaster plan exists should something happen to them. Denial that they have not hired and groomed their successor can paralyze the process. And of course, no one above them is pushing for such information. If the person immediately below your level is not a candidate for your job, they may be a weak link.
Maybe it’s you. Finally, there is the truth telling moment. In poker, they say, “if you don’t know who the turkey is at the table — it’s probably you.” I say, “If you don’t see a weak link in your team — it’s most likely you.” What are you going to do about it?
Weak links are those individuals who are not performing to full capacity, have limited growth potential, or whose work is positioned to be outsourced or eliminated. They may be resistant or incapable of pivoting into a new role and responsibilities. They threaten the strength of the team and your future.
Leave a Reply