“So you see Jason,” said the man we’ll call “Steve”, to me as we sipped on our coffees in the cafeteria, “Tonya is a great individual contributor. She knows her job well, better than most. She has an amazing aptitude for the job, an instinct when it comes to color and design that is hard to come by. And she wants to grow within our organization. I just need your help coaching her to manage some of her outbursts and attitudes with the other staff.”
Background
Steve was a relatively new manager within our organization, and in charge of an important business unit within the marketing department. Steve’s boss also knew that Tonya needed some coaching if she was ever going to progress to a more senior position. Steve’s boss told him, “See if you can get some time on Jason’s calendar. He might have some thoughts on how to handle this.”
So a couple weeks ago Steve reached out to me and we carved out an hour to chat over a cup of coffee in the hospital cafeteria. I wasn’t really sure what the issue was going to be, and I only knew it had something to do with potentially coaching a member of his team.
The Problem
For about 10 minutes Steve went on and on about how great Tonya was at her particular job. But the problem is that she was not especially patient with the rest of the staff, particularly those who didn’t have the natural skills and abilities that she possessed. At times she would express her frustrations in outbursts and rants that made the rest of the team uncomfortable. She could be intimidating.
Tonya seemed to know she was good at her job as well. Other people told her so. And she liked that. And that confidence seems to have created within Tonya an interest in climbing the ladder a bit higher. She is interested in becoming a manager or supervisor at some point. “And that,” Steve said to me as he put down his drink on the surface of our square table in the cafeteria corner, “is where I’m a bit stuck. We want to keep Tonya, and help her grow. But her behavior at times is very problematic.”
The Solution
There was a pause in the conversation as I looked across the table at Steve. I smiled. This was a textbook situation to illustrate something that I try to regularly instill in my students who take my elective in leadership and management. “Steve,” I said, “the problem you have here is not a problem with your team member, but a problem with your definition of a great individual contributor.”
Steve looked a bit puzzled. “Allow me to explain,” I continued. “You began this conversation with me by saying that Tonya was a great individual contributor, and you told me why.” “That’s right,” Steve said, “she knows the job better than anyone I’ve ever managed.”
“The problem,” I said to Steve, “is that a great individual contributor does more than simply do their own job well. Your individual contributor is also a part of a team. And so a better definition of a great individual contributor is someone who not only does THEIR job well, but enables everyone around them to do better also.”
“What you have here,” I calmly explained, “is actually a toxic person who may be very good at their job, but is costing you the productivity of others by her poor behavior. What Tonya needs is not a career path, but a plan of correction. I have met hundreds of “Tonya’s” in my career. They leverage their talent to essentially blackmail organizations into tolerating their poor behavior. Don’t put up with it.”
Steve seemed both relieved, and a bit nervous. “She’s not going to like this,” he said to me.
“Listen,” I replied. “If Tonya was applying for her own role today, and you knew everything that you know about her personality, would you hire her?” Steve shook his head. “No,” he said, “I wouldn’t want the headaches she has caused. I get it now. Thanks for your help.”
Conclusion
In this case study in management, my friend was hung up by his own inadequate definition of a great individual contributor. He was caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. He had a “great” individual contributor on the one hand, and a frustrated team on the other. The solution was really in re-framing our definition of “great.” Tonya may have some amazing talents. But her unwillingness to work on her behavior creates a toxicity that simply should not be tolerated.
