Tommy Cooper, one of the best British stand-up comedians of all time had a routine where he’d walk on-stage with a framed picture of the Mona Lisa in one hand, and a violin in the other. He’d then say:
“I inherited a painting and a violin which turned out to be a Rembrandt and a Stradivarius. Unfortunately, Rembrandt made lousy violins and Stradivarius was a terrible painter“.
… after which he would proceed to smash the violin into the canvass – hilarious.
Now if we’re lucky managers we have talented people on our teams – the Rembrandts and Stradivarius’ if you like. Great news – so why is it we then that we continually ask people with specific, finely-tuned skills to do things they are really, really bad at?
Some time ago I worked for a manager who at every one of my performance reviews would focus on all my weaknesses. The review would start this way – “Zapeteo you’ve had a good six months. You’ve helped increase sales and grow the business”, he’d say, closely followed by – “but I’d really like you to focus on some of your weaknesses since I think this will make you a more complete contributor”. After the review I’d make a poor attempt to do what was asked – but not for long. Soon I’d be back doing what I was good at, and six months later we’d have the same discussion.
I’ve made the mistake too. Once when I was as a manager of a team of IT pre-sales consultants I asked one of my reports who was a genius at preparing written proposals to give a presentation at a trade-show – bad move. I’ll never forget his ‘rabbit in the headlights’ stare as he stumbled to present in front of 200+ people. And I can still hear the pin clatter to the floor, the serenade of crickets and see the tumbleweed rolling silently across the stage floor.
For the most part, individuals can’t be good at everything. That’s why we have teams. As managers, the trick isn’t making everyone good at everything. It’s about thoroughly understanding the skills of every individual and applying them where they have most impact. Of course you’ll often have talent gaps. But if the systems you work with can easily identify them, then you can quickly enact the necessay training strategies and hiring programs.
Remember, you’ll never get your Rembrandt’s to make great violins. But you can help them paint more masterpieces. This isn’t rocket science, but should happen “Just like that” as the late, great Tommy Cooper used to quip.
Zapeteo
Living in a land far-far-away, Zapeteo writes about anything and everything related to the management and mentoring of really talented people. As such, he frowns on wooden phrases like ‘human capital management’ and ‘performance-based culture’. Instead preferring to discuss real issues, involving real people, and especially what can help them build fruitful and rewarding careers.
