“If you look good, you play good. If you play good, you will get paid good.”
Cam Newton, Panthers
Grabbed from Amazon’s “All or Nothing”, 2018 Season… Yet, this post isn’t about the challenges Cam is facing health and performance wise. Watching the show, Cam seems to have an acute understanding about the importance of performance and delivering.
It’s something many technology people do not seem to understand. Still.
As a long time leader of teams, this personality pops up either through inherited hires or the “transformer” hire (great interview, bad performer — you’ve been there, right?)
I’ve witnessed it as early as this past week. The typical scapegoat is “culture” or “leadership”. Reasons their career is in jeopardy and the hand that was dealt was somehow unfair. “Bad leaders!” Quite the contrary.
Not surprisingly, businesses and leaders put up with a lot to deliver excellent service. The best companies seem to put up with less overall, but I digress. In the majority of these cases, the why is conveniently left out.
Here are the top 5 issues I see routinely from low to mid performers:
5. Begrudging participation. Barring critical incidents, the reception getting the team together for team meetings, cross trains, or the occasional after hours events is either good or not good. This includes things like knowledge culture and documentation too! Usually a first sign of an iceberg ahead.
4. Poor execution > good execution. Catch that? Not superior or perfect execution. Just good, folks. Poor execution being the norm is donkey behavior, not thoroughbred behavior. Superior preparation. Knowledge builds confidence.
3. Not life long learning. Does not include Google search alone. If your in the support and engineering fields, what are you doing to keep yourself educated on technology? On the job and reading blogs is not enough for the big money. Certifications demonstrate mastery in lieu of decades of experience.
2. Not Understanding the business. Do you know how the business works? What we sell? How your role impacts customers?
1. Attitude Problems. Negativity doesn’t sell. It paints not just you badly, but your team members. And your boss. Blaming the company, the management, your peer group, your family life, the government… not thoroughbred behavior.
There are many excellent information technology people out there. I would argue the majority of this career field leans par to above par on performance. It’s the below par people we are talking about — you know who you are.
Let’s try coaching and correct the course. Talk to your leaders and determine if it’s truly a bad fit versus “you”. Find a mentor. Need feedback. Stand out!
Because if you play good… You will get paid good.
PS. When I wrote this blog, I immediately thought of the above episode, Picard getting a performance eval from Riker and Troy. “Stand Out. Take Risks.” I feel it’s important to underscore taking the right risks versus any risks.
\\ JMM