A Manager's Greatest Compliment

As a leader in the boardroom or in sport, there will inevitably be times when someone just doesn’t quite fit the team. Such scenarios often become obvious quite quickly, in which case the decision to let the individual leave is a simple one. But what if it isn’t so clear cut? Such decision making becomes far more ambiguous once one or more of the following factors come into play:

* Perhaps the company went out of their way to recruit this individual
* Their experience provided the perfect background for the role with you
* There may be a personal relationship that has been built up over time

Such cases often lead to procrastination on the part of the leader, as no decision is perhaps seen as a better way to avert criticism than a wrong decision. The final choice, in such situations, should always include what is best for the employee themselves. For certain, as business managers and owners, our first priority will always be the success of the company, yet if a member of the team is unhappy in your environment, regardless of their ability, they are less likely to achieve their potential, and as managers, surely unlocking that potential is the fundamental goal. Using a sport analogy, a player at a smaller club may have the ability to achieve greater things, but to do this they must transfer to a larger club. Gareth Bale, the ‘Welsh Wizard’, epitomised this with a transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid, a club at which he now thrives. Those of you with any level of interest in sport could list dozens of similar examples. It is not necessarily the case that the employee is any better than anyone else within the company, just that a change of environment is required for them, and for the rest of your team.

It goes without saying that letting an employee go should be seen only ever as a last resort. Before taking such a decision, all alternatives should be exhausted to see if you can reach an understanding of why there is an issue, and if it can be resolved. However if the issue is beyond repair, perhaps cutting across beliefs and values of the organisation or your management style, it is probably time to part company.

Such decisions are hardly easy, but they allow the individual to excel personally even if that requires leaving your team, providing them with the platform to move onto better things. It also relieves the rest of your team of any tension or stress that having the individual on board may have caused, allowing them to deliver an improved performance. Fundamentally, when we look beyond our selfish interests, is this not a manager’s greatest accolade - the encouragement and facilitation of success for employees in whatever way possible, even if that means letting them go?

Their failure to thrive in your environment may present the opportunity for them to succeed in someone else’s.

Coaching to achieve High Business Growth

Are you thinking of starting a strategic review of your business and have ambitions for growth? Don’t miss out on government investment, match funding and business development coaching through the Growth Accelerator Programme.

If you’re not familiar with Growth Accelerator, it is the premier support service that helps ambitious
business owners based in England achieve rapid sustainable growth, with the Government co-
investing and making a major contribution towards the overall cost of the support package offered
by the scheme. There are 4 areas of available support: Business Development, Access to Funding, Growth through Innovation and Leadership and Management.

What’s impressive is that the scheme is genuinely unlocking new high growth potential and, even
more encouragingly, it is literally coming from anywhere. In other words as long as the management team has the ambition and determination to develop skills to make it happen you don’t have to be a start-up business, based in London or other city centres to achieve success.

How do you know if it’s right for you? The initial consultation with a Growth Manager normally
results in a 3-part strategy and marketing review to highlight and resolve the blockages that are
preventing your business from breaking through into full-scale growth. At this point you will be
assigned a Growth Accelerator Coach, like me, who will meet with your leadership to identify what
needs to be done and set you on course to get things done.

What are the key issues that need addressing? In my experience the biggest needs are:

1. Getting the leadership team, who are constantly pulled back into operational issues, to step
   back from the business and think strategically. This doesn’t always come easy.
2. Getting individual members of the leadership team to understand each other’s thinking and
   re-aligning them to the overall vision and strategy.
3. Identifying skills gaps and training needs to make sure the business delivers the anticipated
   growth.

How quickly the scheme produces results depends on how well the business acts on what needs to be done to get there, but the feedback is good. A report published by Growth Accelerator in
September 2013 said that 3,400 businesses are increasing turnover more quickly and 3,100 are
increasing employment at a faster rate as a result of working with Growth Accelerator. 78% said the initial assessment provided clarity on how to drive growth, 77% said they got something from
Growth Accelerator that they couldn’t get elsewhere and 94% of businesses receiving Business
Development coaching said they have achieved an outcome they couldn’t have by themselves.

So whether you’ve been in business for many years or are a relative newcomer, if growth is your
goal and you have the determination and motivation to make it happen then now’s a great time to
act. As an accredited Growth Accelerator coach I can refer you to a Growth Manager to get you started, so get in touch Tel: 01778 424640.