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A client I worked with was conducting a mid-year strategic planning update.
Which was exactly what it was NOT.
It was not a PLAN review or update at all, because there was no actual “plan.” The regional managers who came into the room one at a time, came only to review one specific metric – their revenue for the first two quarters. They did not provide commentary on any kind of plan; they just reported sales revenue.
And, in many cases, what the manager reported was a failure to reach the mid-year objective.
The thing that really struck me was how several managers presented the disappointing results. The numbers were short of objectives, so they simply stated explanations (excuses?) of why that was the case, and then proceeded to lower their objectives for the remainder of the year.
This is a pattern that I have seen repeated over and over in dozens of cases. A company starts the year with a revenue objective, which is unsupported by a specific plan to get there, and, when revenues lag in the first two quarters, they simply change the annual objectives and move on.
They report failure, but, not to worry. After all, there were very good reasons why revenues were down.
Immutable means “not subject to change.” Which, according to Mr. Geneen, means that results have always been, and will always be, the barometer of success in business. Not those things you intended to do, or hoped to do, but what you actually accomplished. Those results may not be only financial, of course, but the principle holds.
Success in not promises of performance. Not excuses for a lack of performance.
It is performance. Period.
The problem is that so many salespeople want to reinvent reality. After all, my performance isn’t reality, they explain, because:
For the sales manager, the primary challenge with performance is how to get the best from each of your salespeople AND to develop mindset of finding ways to be successful.
With that idea in mind, consider what former Robert Townsend, the former CEO of Avis, once said:
I don’t think Townsend was thinking that people always make excuses (which may, in some cases, be a reality). Instead, I think he was suggesting that managers bear substantial responsibilities in assuring high performance from employees.
How? By eliminating the opportunity to fall back on common excuses as reasons for performance failures. Eliminate the source of the excuse and you eliminate the ability to use the excuse.
Simple enough.
The good news is that there are two major excuses that can completely be eliminated from an employee’s vocabulary if a manager does his or her job well. If you think about it, the most common excuses are these: “I didn’t know” and “I didn’t know how.”
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know when it was due.
I didn’t know you wanted that.
I didn’t know how many.
I didn’t know who to ask.
I didn’t know that was more important.
I didn’t know the next step.
Both of these are avoidable – completely avoidable – if you do your job well as a leader.
These are communication or training issues – items that are completely within your control. In fact, throughout the day as a manager, you should add two simple ideas to your thought process: Do my people know? Do they know how?
The key is not to assume they know or know how. The key is to make absolutely sure.
First, communicate consistently and clearly. Once is never enough. One mass email will never suffice. One quick conversation in the hallway will usually fall short. The average employee has several things that occupy his or her attention: reports, project deadlines, meetings, customer issues, and much more. One single conversation about something critical will almost always result in the loss of some detail.
The result? “I didn’t know that.”
Second, train and test. A good manager never assumes that an employee knows how. He or she trains the employee and then tests for competency. This is not insulting to employees – this is good management. Once you are sure they know how, you can rest assured they can do their jobs – without your direct and constant oversight (which is what you hired them for, I’m fairly certain).
The alternative – to assume they know how – is to invite disaster.
The result? “I didn’t know how to do that.”
Eliminating these excuses will dramatically improve employee performance.
And now you know.
And you know how to address it.
Kelly Riggs is a business performance coach and founder of the Business LockerRoom. A former national Salesperson of the Year and serial entrepreneur, Kelly is a recognized thought leader in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning. He serves clients ranging from small, privately held companies to Fortune 500 firms. Kelly has written two books: “1-on-1 Management™: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t” and “Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.”
