December 3, 2001 From Prince to Pig

In Jack Welch's interview with 60 Minutes last year, he commented how people go through the shifts from Prince to Pig, and back again. Many people, myself included, can certainly relate to this expression.

We are fast approaching the end of the year. 2001 will soon be put to bed and new objectives for 2002 will be set and pursued. And in many organizations, January 1^st will once again be that specific point in time when many men and women will suddenly experience the shift from prince to pig. (Please disregard the gender inconsistency!) For on that day, the slate is wiped clean, and they will be valued only for their next sale or big achievement, not what they accomplished over the past year, or last decade for that matter. Going forward, each person's worth will only be equal to his or her percentage of goal attainment, during the new measurement period.

I have personally worked with organizations where the consistent good performers have, for one reason or another, unexpectedly fallen behind plan during the first quarter of a new year, and have abruptly found themselves on a development plan. In some cases, they are told by their bosses to be back on plan in the next 30 - 60 days, or expect to be looking for someplace else to work. Prince to Pig. In the worse cases, the boss communicates nothing more than the threat. Specific coaching, additional resources, an understanding ear, or other strategies that could be helpful are not even offered (or delivered, if they were promised).

Constant, profitable growth almost always results from tough standards and high expectations. There is no room for people to be able to slide by on their past accomplishments. Wall Street, competitors, even customers will not allow that. The bar is always being raised. (Given the current economic downturn, that bar might seem higher than ever before.) People simply have to keep contributing more and adding increased value. That is a given.

So, think about this. Who is likely more inspired to tackle the rising expectations and ultimately more apt to achieve the higher level of success - the person feeling like a prince or the one feeling like a pig?

I have yet to find anyone who woke up one morning and had suddenly become stupid. Yet, I have met many who have felt that way, based on the way they have been treated when uncharacteristically falling behind the goal. The very best performers will inevitably fall short at sometime. There usually are a number of very legitimate reasons why. As a leader, you must pinpoint which of those reasons is The reason, and then take action with the individual to get back on track. Remember, good performers don't like being behind.

(You may want to keep in mind that a large number of our country's perennial top performing companies have, at best, been flat during the last 12 - 18 months. Did all of their people wake up stupid one morning? Is pig the word you would now use to describe a GE, Intel or Microsoft?)

I believe that a lot of people take a big, deep breath at the beginning of the year, and wonder how they are going to once again achieve the overly ambitious goals in front of them. (At least those who care do!) Being consistently successful is hard work, both physically demanding in terms of hours devoted to the cause, and emotionally straining. What people need going forward is encouragement, support, hope and belief in themselves. They also need to be inspired and challenged to be greater than they have ever been before. What they do not need is to be perceived as or feel like a zero.

It is standard practice in nearly all organizations to re-set annual objectives for a new calendar (or fiscal) year, and thus figuratively start the new goal attainment meter at zero. But, it is not OK to reset a person's value or worth to zero on an annual basis. If you subscribe to this philosophy you had better have a good recruiting system in place, because you are going to need it. Your "A" talent will not tolerate it.

Good leaders recognize how important it is to create an environment and build relationships that allow people to continually do the best work of their lives. Don't allow the change of a single day on the calendar to drastically affect the message you send to your people about their capabilities, their value and your continuing belief in them.

Reflection Questions (for you to think about or journal):

1. What would your people say about the way they feel about their value, when the old measurement period ends and the new one begins?
    
2. What are the most important messages you want to send to your people, as the new year rolls around?