10 Ways to Spot Dead-weight Before it’s too Late
Teams thrive and rise when you ditch dead-weight.
“[Will] Felps estimates that teams with just one deadbeat, downer, or asshole suffer a performance disadvantage of 30 to 40 percent compared to teams that have no bad apples.” (Bob Sutton in Good Boss Bad Boss.)
Dead-weight isn’t:
#1. People who screw up.
A consistent screw up requires intervention. But those who try new things fail the most. Is your screw up an innovator or a slacker?
#2. People with weaknesses.
The whole point of an organization is to maximize strengths and compensate for weakness. (Drucker)
Any team member who doesn’t have weaknesses either lacks self-awareness or has intentionally pulled the wool over your eyes.
#3. People who need growth and development.
When you exclude people who need to grow, you exclude everyone.
Dead-weight is:
#1. People who’ve arrived.
People who don’t embrace personal growth hold teams back. If you don’t want to be dead-weight, ask yourself what new skill or attribute you will test drive today.
#2. People who cozy up with the status quo.
The best team players pursue excellence.
A “good enough” person limits team potential.
#3. People who put personal interests ahead of team success.
Team success is your success.
#4. People who don’t share your values.
#5. People who expect others to adapt to them but refuse to adapt to others.
#6. People who focus more on weakness than strength.
#7. People who joined the team out of obligation, not passion. (Assuming there was a choice.)
#8. People who are overbooked.
#9. People who lack emotional intelligence.
Dead-weight can’t see how they drain energy from others.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is twice as important as IQ and technical skill for jobs at all levels. (HBR)
#10. People who obstruct as a matter of habit.
Find a way to exclude or jettison anyone who refuses to acknowledge and improve issues that hold teams back.
What forms of dead-weight have you seen?
How might leaders navigate the dead-weight challenge?
Bonus material:
You Never Bring Out Someone’s Best by Making Them Feel Inadequate (Leadership Freak)
5 Types of People You Don’t Want in Your Team (Medium)
7 Reasons Why Your Team Can’t Work as a Team (Talent Management)
What forms of dead-weight have you seen?
Individuals who are negative constantly, I can’t get this done within allowed time, constant disobedience and they know it such as non-smoking area and still smoke! Break is 10 minutes they take 15-20 minutes, then sneak off. Let others do the work and they take credit for it. Individuals who lack motivation, basically start but don’t finish, meaning the wander instead of staying the course. Do things to their standards not necessarily up to customers standards. People that think they are not replaceable are missing the reality that anyone is expendable, like it or not!?There are millions of people just wanting a chance that will step up to the plate. Some people do care others do not, just the way they are.
How might leaders navigate the dead-weight challenge?
We need to take them on one by one before the entire team falls into the same pattern. Build them up instead of tearing them down, positive input with examples of what is needed, how we are going to do it, and when we need this done. When the job is completed review all the above and see what could have been different, the other reality was all went well, keep up the good work. As we build confidence the team evolves. Never be afraid to take someone aside to build them up or let they know we need to have improvement or “See you Later”!
Thanks Tim. You seem to have experience in this area! Glad you dropped in.
I’m reading your comment and the last sentence hit me. I notice Candor, compassion, and toughness. Navigating these qualities takes leaders far.
Most are good at one or two, but all three serve leaders and teams well.
Dan,
We learn by experiences, walking the walk and talking the talk, after a few trips around the block things begin to click! 🙂
Great stuff Dan.
I’m struck by numbers 5 and 6. In highly-regulated environments, these sorts of lagging-indicator, negative management approaches are the bedrock of working practices. You don’t get comments about what is done right, only what is done wrong…
“Team success is your success” is true unless you’re part of those organisations where they will throw anybody under the bus for the organisation to survive/thrive – like the film says, “expendable assets”
Thanks Mitch. Highly regulated industries have to accept who they are. They are slow and prone to pointing out what isn’t working.
It takes deep work to focus on things you CAN do, when everything is about what you CAN’T do. I think it’s possible, it just takes a special kind of leader/team.
Dan, as you point out dead weights come in all shapes and sizes. When I think of a dead weight–I think of a large rock. The rock doesn’t move, grow, change, or strive to improve. And the rock brings a lot of other people down.
Growth mind-set–coach the dead weight. Give him/her a chance to change. If change doesn’t happen, start progressive discipline which sends a stronger message.
Thanks Paul. The metaphor of a rock helps highlight the danger. I appreciate your insight.
The chance to change is essential. Apart from second chances, people won’t take first chances.
Great topic. Dead weight really can be poison by impacting each person on the team, as well as the overall team spirit (productivity, morale, having each other’s back and so much more). It’s just a big downer and nobody wants to tackle the issue.
I want to add that the best time to address dead weight is NOW. If someone joins your team and this is the perception, then invest time getting to know them right now so you can help figure out the situation and take action (if they’re new, you should get to know them anyway). Sometimes you’ll discover a whole lot behind the situation that can make things better. There are truly some folks who’ve been beat up for years and all they need is a leader who cares to bring out their shine. Even if they don’t become your team’s brightest star, being a productive part of the team (rather than dead weight) is still a good win/win.
But my main point is to not delay. If you think someone’s dead weight (or has other concerning issues) and you wait a year or longer to do anything about it, then you’ve probably lost any chance to make it better. Waiting usually results in too much damage; maybe even irreparable damage. But acting quickly to “nip it in the bud” gives the best chance for a good outcome. By acting quickly, sometimes the issue ends up being a tiny thing (because it didn’t fester and grow into poison) and is totally forgotten in the near future.
Acting quickly for a win/win feels damn good. But if there’s no win in the end, then reaching that conclusion sooner is still better for all involved, including your team since they ingested far less poison reaching that point.
Hey Dan – this should be article 26 in the e-book. This will be essential sharing from me going forward.