All 7 regular Discuss HR panellists have now published their first round of articles. Last week’s article by Dawn Clarke perfectly embodied what we are trying to achieve with Discuss HR – interesting, different and practical. As part of the Discuss HR series we shall have regular guest writers and I am delighted to welcome our first today. Judith Germain is regarded as the UK’s leading authority on leadership and mavericks. She has written a number of articles for publications such as Training Journal and today she questions how to get the best out of your organisation’s mavericks. (Ed Scrivener)
How to utilise the maverick in your organisation
 |
| Mavericks (sorry, I couldn't resist this - Ed) |
The ability to harness the diverse talent within your organisation is especially pertinent during a recession. This can be all the more challenging when you factor in that it is likely that the 20% of your organisation (your top performers) are mavericks. I define mavericks as those that are wilfully independent. Mavericks preferred communication style is blunt, to the point with a particular brand of tough love and brutal honesty. Whilst the work is completed to a high standard, there can be disharmony in the workplace with non maverick employees feeling bullied and harassed. Alternatively, the Troublesome Talent®, the maverick at work, can feel little challenge in the workplace and becomes disruptive as a result.
Many organisations struggle to utilise this type of top performer effectively, watching profits and productivity plummet as a result. Mavericks do not compromise their standards to fit in, and therefore cannot be managed conventionally. One way of leading differently is to observe our Leadership dRive™ model.
The model represents that establishing and leveraging reputation is a key component in this leadership model. All the leadership characteristics effect and are affected by it. I have always thought of leadership as trusted influence and the key to real leadership is to ensure that you wield that trust responsibly and you use the influence that your followers give you to achieve the organisations goals in a way that is transparent and has integrity. Reputation and credibility are essential traits for leadership.
How to lead the maverick using Leadership dRive™
- Determination
All good leaders have a healthy dose of determination, the will to succeed. Determination allows us to prioritise what is important; it can enable us to use failure to inform success it enables us to meet our commitment to others. Troublesome Talent® have a high degree of dogged determination. They will keep going until they achieve the objective that they have set themselves. Mavericks can be fairly blinkered and this can cause disruption and where other people are concerned disharmony. This is because mavericks will take short cuts to achieve their objectives and will ride roughshod over others and their feelings.
The determination of the maverick can be harnessed by discovering what their objective is and to ensure that it is aligned to the company’s objectives. Spending time with your Troublesome Talent® to find out what rules will likely to hinder him will enable you to decide what steps need to be taken. They need to understand how their single mindedness can be used to engage others not turn them away.
- Influence
All leaders use their influence to persuade their followers to work ‘willingly and well’. Great leaders use personal influence (authority) rather that positional influence (authority). Mavericks are highly influential people although when they are not lead properly this influence tends to become manipulation. When mavericks manipulate they need to be provided with a compelling reason to change. Without this change in their behaviour they will likely to be disruptive and destructive. It is essential that you get this buy in if you wish to increase productivity across the whole team.
- Versatility
Good leaders are versatile in their approach, thinking and in their implementation. Mavericks can take this to the extreme and are often versatile when it comes to bending rules, cutting corners and understanding boundaries! Linked with their high determination in achieving their goals this can cause havoc in an organisation that has poor leadership. You may need to relook at your procedures and structures and see whether they are fit for purpose. Mavericks rarely bend rules unless they believe it is absolutely necessary.
- Expertise and Reputation
Leaders rely on their expertise and reputation to get the job done. Mavericks tend to rely more on their determination, expertise and persuasive powers than their behavioural reputation. Whilst guarding jealously their reputation as an expert in their field they often care little about whether the fulfilling of their tasks hurts or inconveniences others. To utilise the maverick you must recognise their expertise and show them why it is important to improve their behavioural reputation to achieve the goals that they have set themselves. No other way will get them to care enough to change.
Ultimately, reputation and credibility relies on a union of trust, character, competence and track record. Many leaders find it hard to harness their Troublesome Talent’s® talents but that is usually because they are trying to fit their Maverick into an existing and often outdated process. By focusing on the aspects of the Leadership dRive® model, leaders will be better equipped to break down the characteristics of their Maverick and build up a bespoke and tailor made programme of support that encourages them to harness their skills in a way which makes a positive impact on the business.
About the author
Judith Germain is Founder and Principal Reputational Leadership Consultant of Dynamic Transitions Ltd a leadership company specialising in working with Troublesome Talent®, often called mavericks and improving leadership performance within organisations. Judith provides maverick mentoring and delivers innovative leadership programmes. For more information visit www.developing-leadership.com or email jude@dynamic-transitions.co.uk
*****
Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 3rd March and will be written by Leadership Coach Dorothy Nesbitt.
No comments:
Post a Comment