Do you have one of those amazing “go-to” people that you can give anything to, throw anything at and give them work that no one else can do or even touch and with very little fuss, they get at it.
I love go-to people. I have always had the luxury of having one or two of these folks on staff and that is no coincidence. As a leader I know how to hire them you see. But this is not about me, it is about the hugely valuable, cornerstone, foundational staff member of every team.
How much work over a normal load do you think they carry, as opposed to your most high maintenance person who is unwilling or cautious about every new assignment? I hope you don’t pay them the same, because that could be a problem. As a manager, are you on top of the amount of work these folks do and what would happen if they left your group or worse the company.
Supporting your go-to person
How do you recognize and support these people? That is the point of this blog. Is your go-to person taking the heat from someone who should be stepping up their game. Is your “go-to” person wearing down. These people are such valuable resources that when they get fed up and finally leave to go to another workplace, you are lost. I have seen it happen too many times.
Here are a few tips to save these people (sometimes from themselves or unscrupulous co-workers)
Find out what your go-to person really likes to do
- Find out what gives them energy ( likely all the busy work does not)
- Find out if they are actually happy (or just too tired to look for another opportunity)
- Find out where they would like to focus their energy in the next 3,6,9 months.
- What would they like to learn?
Just a word of caution “Take good care of your “go-to”person….. ’nuff said.
Guest Blogger: Judy Mackenzie, MBA, CHRP, CEC PCC, owns and operates TEVO Consulting Inc. for small and medium sized businesses and The Champion’s Mindset, focused on personal development. She is also the author of “Women Rock the Business World – A Planning Guide for Women Entrepreneurs“.
TEVO’s mission is to assist companies in reaching their strategic goals by developing leadership and people management systems that allow employees to be at their best. Judy believes engaged employees are fundamental to business success, and she designs support and management systems to help people and companies achieve their full potential.