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The Hero Trap: Iíll just Fix it Myself
Insight:
When you are depending on a teammate's
work and are dissatisfied with what you
get, what do you do? From my experience, most
people hide their dissatisfaction. Rather than
working through the issue with their teammate, many
people say, "It's easier to just fix the problem
myself."
For example, hereís a conversation I recently had
with Mark, a product distribution manager:
Mark: "I'm just overwhelmed with work. My team is
not performing."
Me: "Can you give me an example?"
Mark: "Yes. For example, Andrew gave me a
presentation that I am delivering tomorrow, and it
doesn't have any of the charts I need. So, I have to
add the charts myself."
Me: "Have you shared your dissatisfaction with
Andrew?"
Mark: "I did once, but nothing changed,
and I just don't have time to address these little
things. It's easier to just do it myself."
After much encouragement, Mark finally talked with
Andrew.
Mark: "I really need to have charts and visuals added
to the reports that you send to me. I've mentioned
this before, and I'm frustrated that I continue to
receive reports without charts."
Andrew: "Mark, this is a surprise to me. You always
e-mailed the reports in text format and I assumed
that you weren't using the charts, so I stopped
putting them in."
Mark: "Oh. Well, I'd really like you to add them in."
Andrew: "No problem. That's easy."
Mark was both surprised and embarrassed. Rather
than working with Andrew to address the missing
charts, Mark had been avoiding the conversation.
Not only did this cause Mark to be bogged down with
work that Andrew could have been doing, Mark was
also harboring negative assessments and not
supporting Andrew's success.
One of the most common reasons team members are
overwhelmed is that they do the work themselves
rather than addressing the issues and supporting one
another. Managers who fall into this trap use
about half of the talent on their team, complain that
the team isnít good enough, and do heroic deeds to
get the job done. They often think, "I'm saving the
day and making it all work out" and see themselves
as heroes, but in actuality, they are hurting their
team's success. And because they are getting
bogged down in doing their team member's work,
theu are unable to make larger, more strategic
contributions to the organization.
Action:
When you are dissatisfied with how something was
performed, say so! Don't fall into the hero trap of
doing the work yourself. Work together to produce a
better result.
By having a conversation to share your
dissatisfaction, you have an opportunity to clarify
your needs and help teammates succeedónot only
on this project, but on all future projects. Often,
team members just do not understand what is
expected of them. Sometimes, it may take several
conversations to work out the issue, but the
conversation will likely improve both the team
member's performance and your relationship.
To share your dissatisfaction effectively:
- Create a focused, private conversation where
you have time to talk through the issue.
- Focus on the specific work product, and don't
generalize about the team member's performance.
What specifically do you need right now that you
haven't received?
- Be curious, listen, and find out their perceptions
of the issue and what challenges they may have
faced, including the lack of clearly defined
expectations. Acknowledge the challenges and how
you may have contributed.
- Work together to find a way to succeedónow
and in the future.
By addressing the issues and not letting yourself do
other people's work, you will develop your team
members' skills and build a stronger, more effective
team. You will also have the time to
make a bigger contribution to the organization.
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Key Action: |
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When you are dissatisfied
with how something was performed, say so! Don't
fall into the hero trap of doing the work yourself.
Work together to produce a better result.
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