Deadwood can be deadly

Imagine that you have been driving down a long, winding road through a tangled jungle. The road is full of ruts and is so overgrown you have to get out of your vehicle to hack away at the underbrush. Your destination is close at hand when you round a corner and find a huge tree blocking your path...on a nearby tree reads a sign, "no saws allowed." That's how some people might describe the frustration they feel when they work for a deadwood boss.

Deadwood employees in the workplace are dangerous. They can make people take unnecessary risks by going around them or by attempting to smash through them. Sometimes by blocking the path of talented employees who could add new ideas and direction, they make people turn around and go back or give up.

The irony is that most deadwood employees would be happier in jobs that would give them a renewed sense of growth. They have been in their rut so long they think they can do the job lying down. Old ways of doing things are good enough and new ideas seem like too much work. They have begun to rot and don’t even know it.

"I give him ideas to streamline our division but he never acts on them," one store manager confided about his boss. "He seems to give everyone a song and dance to keep them pacified but he's not kidding any of us. He's a master at avoiding a decision."

An accountant shared this observation about her boss: "He's been with the company forever and is generally regarded as someone to ignore. His boss or his peers never solicit his opinion. They appear to be ignoring him in hopes he'll go away. If I have to wait much longer, I'm going to go away."

Some deadwood bosses have lost the capacity to grow with the times. They struggle to keep up but are unable to cope intellectually or managerially when the company branches off in new directions. "My boss," said a supervisor from a medium sized manufacturing firm, "is simply in the wrong job. He was good at his former job but the company grew so fast they promoted him above his level of competence, and interest. Now we all suffer for it...especially him."

But what can a company do?

Some companies are waking up to the idea of regular rotation as part of the solution. Not only does this revive the dead, it stimulates the living.

It's unrealistic to assume that all employees can stay challenged in a job for more than a few years. Planned musical chairs can be a game many employees can play...and it won't be seen as corporal punishment if there are many players.

A good rotation program starts with identifying key skills required performing a specific job. If you were grooming a good car mechanic, for example, you might want him or her to have experience working on many different models. You would then develop a plan that would give a new mechanic the right experiences. Eventually, some mechanics would be able to handle many models but others would be better suited to specializing in Fords.

Let's apply the example to a senior manager job. Top management may decide that the job requires special technical skills, knowledge of computer systems and managerial skills. Perhaps employees who start in the technical end of the job could be given opportunities to experience the other components. Too many companies simply hope the right candidate will emerge when an opening occurs. If the "right candidate" can only fix Fords and your company is having Subaru problems, the company's in trouble.

Things get trickier when the tree in the path of progress is close to retirement. Fortunately, most companies don’t take a chain saw to their long-term employees. Companies don't want the rest of their employees leaving skid marks as they speed off to a new employer who values high morale and loyalty.

On the contrary, many employees who are perceived as getting in the way of progress are poorly utilized experts who could contribute to the company in many ways. Tip toeing around the issue isn't good for the employee or the company. The trick is to uproot the problem before it becomes a longstanding political issue. Repotting the person soon enough, in an area that can benefit from his or her skills, can bring new life to all concerned.

Companies that practice rotation on a regular basis have less deadwood to remove and more young talent that grows happily along-side taller, wiser trees.

Does your team need a tune-up? We will conduct a detailed assessment and get to the bottom of the problem.  We will provide you with detailed recommendations and work with you, and your team, to implement needed changes.  We work with all levels within your organization, team or department. We have an excellent track record of success with teams in a variety of industries.  Call us today for information at (800) 348-1944.