How to
Eliminate Internal Politicking and Reduce Your Role As A Referee.
The CEO of a
$20,000,000+ manufacturer had just told me that the seven members of
his senior management team couldn't get along. Three of
them
wouldn't even speak to each other. One of them, Bob, who
heads manufacturing and related operations, is a master at politicking
and creating discord.
I've
tried
many things, and I'm not sure what to do. I've hired a
consultant to sit with them and facilitate discussions. They
met maybe half a dozen times, but it was a complete waste of time and
money.
"Have you
thought about firing any of them, particularly Bob, the serial
friction meister?" I asked.
"Oh, I
couldn't fire him. He's the only one who really knows how
to
run that operation. I don't know where we'd find someone
to
replace him!â€
"That's
your
first mistake," I said. "And it is the root of your other
mistakes. No one is indispensable."
When
you find yourself with unacceptable
levels of internal politics amongst your subordinates. these guidelines
should help.
1.
Banish forever the idea that certain people can't be
replaced. We are all replaceable.
2.
Clarify the real impact of the politicking? Is it merely
unpleasant but inconsequential or does it bury your momentum?
What price is the organization paying?
3.
Decide that you will not accept responsibility for what is really
someone else's load.
4.
Check to see if there are systemic or environmental causes for this
bickering. Are they compensated in such a way where one wins
even while the other loses? When you find such causes, act to
remove them immediately. Monitor for behavioral changes.
5.
Remind your people that A, B and C are the expected performance
outcomes and progress towards these goals is measured by X, Y and
Z. If someone shows himself to be more a Berlin Wall than an
earth mover, he or she is in the wrong organization.
6.
Prepare to fire them. Prepare for the transition by
determining: What will be the immediate impact of his
leaving? How can we prepare and therefore minimize the impact?
An executive I
know recently faced this issue. A key team member's
performance deteriorated and the employee began to rattle his
chain. The executive realized that too much know-how was
locked in this fellow's head. He began involving more
people
in the analysis and decision making processes to reduce the company's
dependence on this person. The current plan is to fire him
soon and find a replacement.
Follow these
steps and not only will your organization be better off for it, but you
will once again enjoy your job as CEO rather than chief arbiter.
The Gordon
Group can help you
and your organization move beyond politicking and infighting amongst
key insiders. Make sure your systems really do encourage team
work and don't give excessive clout to any individual.
Contact us at dov@gordongroupec.com.
+++++++++
Dov
Gordon helps senior
executives at small and mid-sized companies around the world to earn
the respect and admiration of their marketplace. Clients
benefit from clarifying their strategies, sharpening their focus,
better decision making, improved teamwork and growing into great
leaders.
Management and
Strategy Consulting.
Executive
Coaching.
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