Most Important Resource and Fly in the Ointment
by Robert Hackman
Photograph by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash
Am I the fly in the ointment?
From the song ‘A Blemish’
By Barry Lawton
Do you believe people are an organization’s greatest asset? Or do you think people represent the proverbial fly in the ointment – the most significant risk and cause of company disruption? I find many people believe one or the other, which is insufficient.
I contend that holding these beliefs together, appreciating them, and using them to drive decision-making and action is essential to next-level leadership.
Sometimes it seems like managing organizations would be easier if it weren’t for the people. Yet, it is those same people that make it worthwhile and fulfilling. They remain a significant part of how work gets done.
A conversation with a long-time CEO friend of mine began with him repeatedly asserting with incredible frustration and bewilderment, ‘I hate people!’
Although no shrinking violet, this came from a man I knew to exhibit great loyalty, respect, and care for those with whom he worked.
He was venting about a colleague of many years who, for an unknown reason, had become a significant obstacle to what he and the company were trying to accomplish. Thus, a person he expected to be a source of support was taking a disproportionate amount of time, energy, and focus. They had become the proverbial fly in the ointment.
A little realized truth is that regardless of the level of contribution we make or the risks we take on behalf of others and our organizations, we, too, can become the ‘fly’ that holds our companies back.
Strong leaders must recognize that their blind spots and shortcomings also create obstacles for their companies to overcome. They, too, need time, support, and encouragement to grow and change.
The scenario highlights leadership’s mystery, challenge, and complexities. No one ever gets leadership down. I maintain leadership mastery is unattainable. The dynamic aspects of leadership persist unabated, exemplifying the oxymoron that change constitutes the only constant.
When we expect people will not change and believe they cannot change, we get ourselves, teams, and organizations in trouble.
Yet, if we only believe people are our utmost resource, we feel compelled to make them happy, satisfy them and invest in them without regard to return.
We lose the discernment to comprehend when people are not up to the job, do not have the skillsets required to take a firm to the growth level it seeks, or have checked out.
It may cause leaders to refrain from implementing technology that displaces associates, even when doing so represents the best decision for the company and others working there.
Thinking of people merely as a cost or risk provokes leaders to disregard their contributions and growth potential and blind us to the competitive differentiation they represent. It can cause them to resist investing in their people, consider them unreliable and unpredictable, and blind them to their own fallibilities.
Believing people are our leading resource and potential disruptors alerts leaders to the possibility they can simultaneously overwork and underutilize their associates – a lethal combination.
The mindset encourages leaders to support their people, invest in them smartly, focus on drawing out the best of what they offer and position them to maximize their successes on behalf of the company, individually and in teams.
The ‘fly’ mindset prompts them to remain humble and recognizes they are always in a state of flux internally, relationally, and as integral parts of a more extensive system.
The overlapping areas of the two truths become apparent when we hold them together. The resulting tension keeps leaders attuned to others and the culture, supporting them while retaining the capacity to make tough decisions when needed.
The question embodying every leader’s ongoing challenge is: How can you leverage the best of your people and reduce the hazards the human component represents to your team and organization?
Worthy Inquiries:
- Do you believe people are an organization’s most significant resource? If so, how do your decisions and actions reflect that perspective? If not, what do you think the necessary means are?
- Have you found associates also represent a fly in the ointment at times? How do these experiences influence your conviction of people as a vital resource? If so, how do you contend with these dueling realities?
- Do you and your team recognize and acknowledge that you, your team, your company, and your environment are constantly in flux? If so, how do you apply leadership that is both dynamic and consistent?
- How do you prepare yourself and others within your firm to lead effectively? What investments do you make in your people and organization to grow their leadership skills and capacities?
- How do you navigate the relationship between your people and technology?
Please contact me if you want help navigating the pathways of dynamic leadership required for yourself, your family, your team, and your organization. I welcome the conversation.
Robert Hackman, Principal, 4C Consulting and Coaching, helps people live and lead with fewer regrets. He grows and develops leaders through executive coaching consulting, facilitation, and training of individuals, teams, and organizations. He is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He facilitates trusting environments that promote uncommonly candid conversations. Rob is also passionate about the power of developing Legacy Mindsets and has conducted over 50 Legacy interviews with people to date.
A serious man with a dry sense of humor who loves absurdity can often be found hiking rocky elevations or making music playlists. His mixes, including Pandemic Playlists and Music About Men, can be found on Spotify.
Bravely bring your curiosity to a conversation with Rob, schedule via voice or text @ 484.800.2203 or rhackman@4cconsulting.net.