[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Some time ago we picked up a toy car for our son in a mall, we were in hurry and asked the sales girl if it came with batteries, she said yes. We got home and discovered it didn’t. I can tell you the toy sat on the shelf for a while, till one of us had the time to go get batteries, look for the screw driver and fix the toy.
This got me thinking… just as some toys come with batteries and some come without, there are basically two categories of people to look out for in the workplace regardless of their personality:
- Those that have their own energy source (those with batteries)
- Those that are dependent on others for their energy (those without batteries)
Some years ago my cousin went for a job interview, he did excellently well, it wasn’t a surprise, since he came out with first class from the university, but to everyone’s shock he didn’t get the job and why? He was told he didn’t have enough fire in him. In other words, they thought he was good, but he didn’t come with batteries.
I’m sure you know what that’s like. Almost every work environment has a couple people who drain team members around them. If you are the leader in your organization this doesn’t have to be.
You should be willing to help people without batteries, but please please don’t hire them! You want everyone in your organization to have their own battery pack. If they don’t, they just deplete everyone else’s. The people working with you should grow your business and reach their potential, if you have on board people who do not have their own batteries, you waste a lot of energy making up for their character deficit.
So how do you identify the culprit?
Here are five sure signs a team player will drain your teams’ energy:
- They love and create drama. Since they do not possess big picture thinking and are often short sighted and selfish, they stir up trouble to feel better about themselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s real or imaginary. Anyone who’s got a vision and goal doesn’t have time for that.
- They gossip and backbite. Resources are drained on managing unnecessary relational troubles. Gossiping and backbiting does not foster good team spirit. It undermines the integrity of the team.
- They are always complaining. Their attitude is almost always negative and negativity is cancerous to an organization. It kills momentum and subtracts from the team. Rather than complain, proffer solutions. Be a problem solver.
- They are unable to lead themselves. They need constant supervision. They are not self starters or self directing. When you have people like this in your organization, you waste a lot of time managing marginal producers instead of leading your organization.
- They avoid responsibility. Those without batteries never make commitments up front, or take responsibility for results. They do not like to be accountable.
Do yourself, your team and your organization a favor, advice Mr No Battery to go get himself a battery pack, or by all means show Mr No Battery the door!
And as for my dear dear cousin, he took note, stepped up his game, got himself a battery pack, went for the interview a second time and he got the job.
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