The Jomag Take # 014

 THE JOMAG TAKE #014

Business as it really is.


Stop Asking Bread Knives to Cut Steak

One of the biggest wastes in organizations is not money.

It’s misused people.

We keep asking bread knives to cut steak.

Yes, it can be done.

Yes, the knife will try.

But it will be slow, messy, inefficient and eventually dull.

That’s exactly what happens when we put people in roles they’re not built for.

Most performance problems are not attitude problems.

They’re fit problems.

We promote great individual contributors into managers, even when they hate managing.

We ask steady operators to innovate.  We push creative people into rigid processes.

We reward tenure with responsibility instead of matching wiring with role.

Then we act surprised when:

• performance drops

• energy disappears

• people burn out

• resentment builds

The truth is uncomfortable:

People are not interchangeable parts.

Everyone has an edge but not the same edge.

Some people are excellent starters.

Some are finishers.

Some thrive in chaos.

Some need structure.

Some are thinkers.

Some are doers.

Some are builders.

Some are protectors.


None of these are better than the other.

They are just different blades.

The tragedy is not that people lack talent.  The tragedy is that many spend years being used against their grain.

Sometimes we misuse people. 

If you’re exhausted, frustrated, or constantly forcing performance, ask this honestly:

Am I dull…

or am I being used for the wrong job?

Great leaders don’t make everyone sharper.

They put people where they are already sharp.


I excelled at Wendy’s Hamburgers because my Bosses there (Yvette), at Mister Donut (Jess) and my Potato Corner Partners put or used me where I was sharpest at.  An employee will always say yes to a movement specially if its a movement up or a promotion.  Its the Leaders role to identify what knife a person is best to be used for.

—

JOMAG VERDICT

Stop blaming people for underperforming in roles they were never meant to play.

Stop asking bread knives to cut steak.

Use people where they are sharp or watch them slowly lose their edge.

—

JOMAG PRESS

Business as it really is.

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