Herbie Keeps On Ticking

Response from a reader of last week's post "The Slowest Hiker":

 "I see it as a non-success story from a management/employee viewpoint. When Herbie could not keep up and was holding everyone back, they not only held everyone else behind, but they distributed Herbie's (work)load to those who were more efficient. This is hardly fair to the other employees, yet it is what takes place every day in a company. Those who are the best at what they do get dumped on, while those who can't get their job done are rewarded with less work to do. It seems Herbie should have had one person assigned to make sure he got to the campsite safely, while allowing the others to move forward and set up camp. Next time they hike, they can leave Herbie at home (fired) or have him prove ahead of time that he can keep up with the group (time management, etc.)  What do you think?"

Last week I wrote a post about The Slowest Hiker. I received the response above and it occurred to me there is more learning that can be shared here.

First, Herbie is an analogy. He represents any constraint in a business, not just people. So, the moral of the story is to focus on and identify the constraint and then address it. The scout master had to watch over the troup and get them to camp by sunset. A clear project with a deadline.

Second, I totally agree with the reader above as to what should be done with "Herbie" after they get back home. I see example after example of business owners and managers walking by employees who are not performing and doing nothing about it because they hate recruiting and/or think they have not done enough to train the individual.

As you can see from the response above, every good employee knows who the Herbies are. They get tired of carrying the load for the Herbies of the world and the best ones usually quit because they are frustrated with management's lack of action.

I can't count the number of times clients of mine have finally let a Herbie go and remark how it lifted a weight off their shoulders, the company moral is up, people are happier, and some even came in and thanked the owner.

What do you do as a manager or owner to solve this issue in your company?

Always be recruiting and build a virtual bench of vetted recruits who are working somewhere else but are ready to come to work for you. It makes you a better coach and leader, and it makes for a great company with A Players in every position. The most onerous stress you deal with is someone walking in and quitting or the times you walk by employees you know are C Players and don't do anything about it.

A client just said this week to me that she is now always recruiting, all the time, every where she goes. She is looking for A Players, handing them her card and setting up a coffee or lunch meeting to talk if they are interested. It is easy because it is part of her day, everyday. Remember these people have jobs so you don't have to offer them a job today just be vetting and recruiting and building that bench so when the time comes you have that A Player ready to come into the game.