More times than not, when you start a project or new job in a management capacity you don't get to pick your team members.
Depending on what level you are, you may actually get team members assigned to you without your say.
It can be frustrating.
Deep down, you know that you need to play with the cards that you've been dealt.
It becomes even more frustrating because you can't follow Jim Collins' rule of getting the wrong people off the bus to become great.
In my experience, you'll know within a few seconds whether you've inherited a good team member or bad one.
Part of my problem - if you want to call it that - is that I am quick to judge. The other reason is that I ask myself two questions about the person during a 10 second assessment.
(I guess that's really one reason).
Question 1: Is this person open to a different way of thinking? Many times, you inherit people that already think they know everything about everything and themselves. Some don't like to hear a different perspective on an issue. You'll know this person if they start reeling off their credentials before he or she listens to what you have to say.
Question 2: Is this person someone that I think I could hang out with for any extended amount of time? Some people call this the airport test. I call it the "Can I tolerate you for over 30 minutes test because that's the shortest meeting I'll have with you." There are people you can tolerate and people you will click with. It's the people that you just can't stand that will drain your energy. Do your best to minimize interactions with them.
A lot of managers go through life "dealing with the cards that they've been dealt." To that, I say, 'why?' It's not worth it to deal with the people that are "energy vampires" as they say.
It's amazing to me how much of that we'll tolerate that at our workplaces.
Depending on what level you are, you may actually get team members assigned to you without your say.
It can be frustrating.
Deep down, you know that you need to play with the cards that you've been dealt.
It becomes even more frustrating because you can't follow Jim Collins' rule of getting the wrong people off the bus to become great.
In my experience, you'll know within a few seconds whether you've inherited a good team member or bad one.
Part of my problem - if you want to call it that - is that I am quick to judge. The other reason is that I ask myself two questions about the person during a 10 second assessment.
(I guess that's really one reason).
Question 1: Is this person open to a different way of thinking? Many times, you inherit people that already think they know everything about everything and themselves. Some don't like to hear a different perspective on an issue. You'll know this person if they start reeling off their credentials before he or she listens to what you have to say.
Question 2: Is this person someone that I think I could hang out with for any extended amount of time? Some people call this the airport test. I call it the "Can I tolerate you for over 30 minutes test because that's the shortest meeting I'll have with you." There are people you can tolerate and people you will click with. It's the people that you just can't stand that will drain your energy. Do your best to minimize interactions with them.
A lot of managers go through life "dealing with the cards that they've been dealt." To that, I say, 'why?' It's not worth it to deal with the people that are "energy vampires" as they say.
It's amazing to me how much of that we'll tolerate that at our workplaces.
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