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Slumped
Sally - Rekindling the Flame of Success
by
John Maxwell
As
she makes her way through the building, her mind is somewhere else, and
there is a distant expression on her face. Her steps are a little slower -
her comments a little shorter. Once she was a great performer, but now
there is hardly a trace of the success that once illuminated her.
Slumped Sally is fading. She is no longer excited about her work or the
vision of the company. At what moment did she actually give up on herself?
No one is sure. But as she slumps further down, her attitude and
performance are going down with her. The longer you leave her alone in
discouragement, the harder it will be to pull her back up.
When we think about athletes being in a slump, there is always the
anticipation that they will come out of it. Shouldn't it also be that way
with our co-workers? So how does an athlete get back on track? Often it is
with the help of a good coach. Coaches work with them and encourage them,
and that's what we should do with our employees.
Listen ...
Start the process with Sally by meeting with her privately. Ask her about
the good old days. Ask her what she did when things were going well. Ask
her what she did in the past when faced with a challenge. Talk about the
last time she was really excited about a project or the direction of the
company. Find out if she wants to get involved again, and what's holding
her back.
Only invest time in Sally if she verbally expresses a desire to rejoin the
team. There must be a commitment from her, or else your efforts will be
wasted. Hopefully Sally wants to be successful again. If so, you, as her
coach, can help lead her back to success.
1. Remove.
Before Sally can be an effective member of the team, she needs to get her
attitude right. Casey Stengel, former manager of the New York Yankees,
said about his players, "When you make out your rooming list, always
room your losers together. Never room a good guy with a loser. Those
losers who stay together will blame the manager for everything, but it
won't spread if you keep them isolated." This is true in Sally's case
also. You don't want her negative attitude and depression spreading to
other people in your company. Separate her from others, and coach her
one-on-one until she is ready to work in a team, as a team player.
2. Remain.
For Sally to connect to the company she must connect with her coach. Spend
some time with her. Re-build your relationship with Sally. And help her
restoke the fire that once burned inside of her.
3. Re-prioritize.
Sally needs to make progress. The best way to raise her morale is to get a
few wins under her belt. As her coach, put her in a position to win.
Encourage her strengths. Arrange her workload so she has an opportunity to
succeed.
4. Require.
Put Sally in a position where she knows the importance of her role. And
make sure she majors on the major things. Let her know that the project
won't get done without her. Sally needs to be in a vital area of the
company in order to be stretched and motivated.
5. Remember.
Encourage Sally. Build up her confidence. Commend her publicly and
privately when she succeeds. Sally needs you to be her cheerleader as well
as her coach.
It is easy to ignore the "Slumped Sallys" in our company, but
when we pass them by, we are also passing on their talents. Sally once
showed that she could succeed. As her coach, you need to invest in
reviving her attitude and rekindling her desire towork hard toward a goal.
I was reminded of the importance of good coaching while watching Bela
Karolyi at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Bela is one of the greatest coaches of
all time.
One of his greatest assets is that he can see the potential of an athlete,
even when others have given up. Probably the best example of his coaching
can be seen in the career of Nadia Comaneci. Bela led her to score the
first perfect 10.00 in Olympic history in 1976. After the games she
changed coaches and fell into a difficult slump. Most experts gave up on
Nadia after her fall at the 1978 World Championship. But Bela still saw
the fire in her.
He resumed his position as Nadia's coach in time for the 1979 European
Championship, and she rewarded his coaching by staging the biggest
comeback in gymnastics history by winning the all-around gold.
We all love a comeback - to see someone who was counted out get back into
the game. Slumped Sally doesn't have to be out; she just needs a little
coaching.
Source:
'Leadership Wired' by Dr. John C. Maxwell.
Article is from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter available
at www.injoy.com |
