Avionics News February 2016 - 62

BUSINESS BASICS

Continued from page 61

down; you spend more time with
them, your stronger employees
give less as they react to an
unfair environment, and morale
plummets, according to Brock.
Ultimately, by holding on to these
people, you're holding a spot
that could be filled by someone
better, according to Studer. Plus,
even if these employees someday
magically improve, chances are
their reputation will be set in stone,
so there's no turning back. Left
unattended, it's a no-win situation.
Obviously, poor performance
can't be ignored - and that's as
much a management problem as
an employee one. You must fix

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avionics news

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february

2016

the problem, one way or another,
to quickly address moving these
employees to acceptable levels of
performance. Both you and they
need to be willing - and capable -
of doing that.
To bring these folks around, have
a DESK conversation, according
to Studer. Describe the problems
you've observed and the issues
each has caused. Evaluate how you
feel, including your disappointment
in their performance. Show what
needs to be done to improve,
with a schedule, expectations and
measurable deliverables. Then, be
sure they know the consequences
of failing to meet your standards
- including verbal and written
warnings, up to termination.
If you see improvement,

acknowledge it whole-heartedly. If
not, expect some of these people to
jump ship on their own, while others
may need to be referred to human
resources. Whatever you do, don't
ignore them. This group currently
provides little value and exacts a
high cost you can't afford to pay.
Moving the middle
While focusing your efforts on
top and bottom performers may
seem like the most effective way
to tune up your team, consider that
in both cases, you're only dealing
with a minority of your employees.
The vast majority - about 74
percent, according to research firm
Bersin & Associates - are B-team
players, who, to put it bluntly,
aren't rock stars but are perfectly
adequate, hardworking, productive
employees who cumulatively do
most of the work at your avionics
shop. Because they're capable,
they often get ignored. Bersin
found managers only spend about
20 percent of their time with these
employees, and that inevitably
leaves some feeling unloved and
ignored. Yet they shouldn't be. Even
small improvements in this group
will move your shop's performance
needle more than similar
improvements from other teams.
Employees settle into this stratum
of your shop for several reasons.
Some may be operating at maximum
capability, and they're challenged
and satisfied. Others lack the
confidence or skills to improve, and
they need your help to grow into
A-team players. Others are happy to
stay in the middle because they don't
see the costs of higher performance
to be worth the extra effort or
reward. You can still get more out
of these employees if you shift some
of your effort into cultivating their
trust, loyalty and motivation.
http://www.capitalavionics.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News February 2016
