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March 5 - March 6, 2018
Leaders who can identify, hire, and cultivate employees who are humble, hungry, and smart will have a serious advantage over those who cannot.
“The most unhappy people in a company are the ones who don't fit the culture and are allowed to stay. They know they don't belong. Deep down inside they don't want to be there. They're miserable.”
“If you ask me, the best thing that's happened in the last year is that we've almost become a jackass-free zone. No matter what happens, and what challenge we might face, give me a roomful of people who aren't jackasses, and I'll be happy to take it on.”
Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.
Truly humble people do not see themselves as greater than they are, but neither do they discount their talents and contributions.
Hungry people are always looking for more. More things to do. More to learn. More responsibility to take on. Hungry people almost never have to be pushed by a manager to work harder because they are self-motivated and diligent.
Smart people tend to know what is happening in a group situation and how to deal with others in the most effective way. They ask good questions, listen to what others are saying, and stay engaged in conversations intently.
Smart people just have good judgment and intuition around the subtleties of group dynamics and the impact of their words and actions. As a result, they don't say and do things—or fail to say and do things—without knowing the likely responses of their colleagues.
People who are humble and smart but not adequately hungry are the “lovable slackers.” They aren't looking for undeserved attention, and they are adept at working with and caring about colleagues. Unfortunately, they tend to do only as much as they are asked, and rarely seek to take on more work or volunteer for extra assignments. Moreover, they have limited passion for the work the team is doing. Because they are generally charming and positive, it's easy for leaders to shy away from confronting or removing lovable slackers. After all, they're lovable.
While it's never possible to have complete confidence in a hire, nagging doubts about a candidate's humility, hunger, or smarts need to be properly explored and discarded before an offer can be made.
Many people will try to get a job even if they don't fit the company's stated values, but very few will do so if they know that they're going to be held accountable, day in and day out, for behavior that violates the values.
It's important not to misread my advice as permission to tolerate people who don't fit. Too often, leaders know that an employee really doesn't belong and would be better elsewhere, and they fail to act because they lack courage.
The most important part of the development process, and the part that is so often missing, is the leader's commitment to constantly “reminding” an employee if she is not yet doing what is needed. Without this, improvement will not occur.
When a manager steps up to this challenge, week after week after painful week, one of two things will almost always happen. First, the employee will finally break through, determined not to keep hearing those reminders. She'll reach the top of the hill, so to speak, and make her way to the other side where her humility or hunger or smarts kicks in.
The other likely outcome will be that she will finally decide that being humble or hungry or smart is not her thing, and she'll decide on her own to leave.
Another indispensable part of developing hunger in an employee (assuming he or she has the required tools and skills) is to set clear behavioral expectations for them and then hold them accountable for those expectations. Yes, that sounds ridiculously obvious, but for those who aren't hungry, it is particularly critical. But while it is also important to set performance targets and goals for these people, it's even more vital to clarify the behaviors you want from them.
Leaders who believe teamwork is important and expect their people to be humble, hungry, and smart should come right out and say so. They should tell everyone. Employees. Vendors. Partners. Customers. Prospective customers. Prospective employees. Everyone.
