December 15, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item People That Get It Done
December 16, 2011 at 1:20 am
Andy - do you really have a 'lawn guy'?
December 16, 2011 at 2:05 am
This puts me in mind of the classic Spolsky hiring diatribe on the theme of 'smart and gets things done'. To be honest in my experience the smart bit is not that important. I can live without that, but you definitely need the 'gets things done' every time.
Well, I guess as far as smart goes you need operating a computer OK as a given. The taking ownership as you say is absolutely crucial.
December 16, 2011 at 2:43 am
Yes, I completely agree with the article. Two questions every employee should ask themselves:
1. What's the most useful thing I can do next for my organisation (even if it means occassionally acting outside of my role)?
2. How can I make sure that I continue to be dispensable? i.e. if I get hit by a big red bus, someone could take over from me reasonably seamlessly.
December 16, 2011 at 6:35 am
The premise is that you work for a company or manager or supervisor that shares the same attitude. Unfortunately, i have seen many "get it done" employees/managers/etc leave their employment because their management preaches this but don't commit to it. So the employee is left out to figure things out on their "own" (creative) but because of lack of management support, they get behind and frustrated.
December 16, 2011 at 8:10 am
Yes, I completely agree with this article. As a manager I always saw the people succeed who can take the ownership on their actions than who wait to be told irrespective of their smart factor levels. So commitment drives everything....
One question every employee should always ask: how can I bring success to the team, to my supervisor and to my organization.
December 16, 2011 at 8:13 am
My son, when working 4H for the local county fair, picked up this phrase ( with rural inflection) as
"Git'er done!" from the Fair Maintenance Supervisor, who apparently said this all the time to the crew of teenaged maintenance('cleanup') staff my son was a member of. In this case the tasks involved little thinking, but constant roaming the Fair picking up trash and emptying trash cans and doing other odd jobs. Not the most glorious thing to be doing, but for a teenager, the pay was good and the work not too hard.
He did so well at the tasks thrown at him (move picnic tables, help with stage setup,etc.) that to this day, five years later, every time I am at the Fair grounds someone asks how Spencer is.
He got the job done when asked. Nothing difficult or hard or skilled, just summer work a teenager needs to experience life. I hope it serves him well later in life.
December 16, 2011 at 8:57 am
If we look at the article from the other perspective, from that of being a manager, what are you doing to encourage and support your employees to 'get it done'?
Do you provide realistic timelines and goals or do you assign deadlines without an understanding of what it will actually take to accomplish the task?
Do you provide the employee with the resources they need or do you make them ask for them?
When the employee comes to you with obstacles, do you encourage them to provide you with possible solutions and discuss them together or do you tell them 'you figure it out, just get it done'?
Are you willing to provide training and resources to expand the employee's skillsets to meet the needs of the task or do you expect them to learn it osmotically?
Many times in our industry, the person who "get's it done" in an organization is the guy who gets no support from his manager and 'grinds it out', solves problems by sheer force of will and blind intuition without adequate training, realistic timelines and adequate resources. These employees don't last. They'll either burn out or they'll move on to an environment where their efforts are appreciated and supported.
It's a great thing to have an employee who "get's it done" but make sure you're the type of manager that encourages and rewards that behavior, not just the one who gives it lip service.
December 16, 2011 at 9:13 am
Rob nailed it. I see some excellent employees burn-out like this and they move on hoping to find "greener" pastures(and they will). When you have a "get'ir done" employee/manager, you need to be the force that not only guides them but also propels them. What you get in return is invaluable.
December 16, 2011 at 9:30 am
Rob and Efrain both nailed it; "get it done" is a two-way street, not a stand-alone proposition. The phrase where I work is "make it happen". Unfortunately, unless it is some earth-shattering need, we don't get appropriate budget or training - definitely "osmosis" is the pattern of learning. (BTW dates are almost never appropriate.)
Burning out? Yes. Why haven't I "moved on to greener pastures"? Because it didn't used to be this way at this company. We'd had some management changes that may have perpetrated the scenario; now management has changed again, and the new ones seem to understand resource management a whole lot better. If they're willing to work on the solution, so am I - as long as we're progressing in the proper direction (because I actually have realistic date expectations - change takes time).
That being said, my company is on probation with me. I've notified them of my expectations for performance improvement, and been assured that steps will be taken. And I'm monitoring their actions and providing constructive feedback.
If your company is causing frustration and burn-out, make sure you say something (if you're comfortable with the possible results of the conversation). It's not fair to blame the problem on someone else if you haven't told them there's a problem. One of my mantra's is "I can't fix it if I don't know it's broken". That's a two way street too.
Steph Brown
December 16, 2011 at 9:37 am
Oh, and to answer Andy's question, YES, I'm a "get it done" employee, and my boss know it. At least, all indications are that several levels of management know that, because if it's on fire, it will likely land on my desk. And regardless of whether it's in my area or not, I'll figure out a way to either fix it, or get it in the hands of those who can fix it.
Knowing who to pull into a team to resolve a cross-functional issue is a handy skill to have... 😉
Steph Brown
December 16, 2011 at 10:11 am
Someone once complained to my boss about my personaility, and my bosses very quick response to that person was " I didn't hire Travis to win a personality contest here, I hired him because he is my "go to" guy and he keeps my multi-million dollar databases running smooth all the time. Anything else you need to discuss today?" Enough said. There are people who watch and complain and people who get stuff done. Where I work we have what is called the 20/80 rule. That is, 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work, while 80% of the people are setting around shooting the breeze, surfing the Internet, starting trouble, and being concerned with what other people's personalities are. Believe me, management is wise to them. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
December 16, 2011 at 11:31 am
As working professionals, we should possess most, if not all, of the attributes referenced in the editorial. Unfortunately, in today's world that's just not the case.
I work in the public sector, and in our shop we've got some older employees that are nearing retirement age that regularly refuse to accept work assignements claiming they don't have the proper skillset, even after they've received thousands of dollars in training. These same employees rarely take initiative to better themselves, yet have no problem with receiving a programmer's rate of pay when pay day rolls around.
I made the mistake of complaining too loudly about a fellow employee that spent the majority of his time surfing the internet, reading the news paper and staring at the walls of his office, while i received most of the challenging work assignements, and actually received a reprimand from H.R. The sad thing is that these individuals are costing this origanization thousands of dollars every year when we already have financial issues, yet the managers take no initiative themselves to address these issues. Welcome to life in the sublic sector...
December 16, 2011 at 11:50 am
There is difference between "make is happen" and "MAKE IT HAPPEN". A manager that is trusting you to do your job and is encouraging OR is there to just to make his next bonus.
The doers do become the managers over time (which is a shame as one should be keeping the job he's good in) .
December 16, 2011 at 12:27 pm
mojootti (12/16/2011)
There is difference between "make is happen" and "MAKE IT HAPPEN". A manager that is trusting you to do your job and is encouraging OR is there to just to make his next bonus.The doers do become the managers over time (which is a shame as one should be keeping the job he's good in) .
Peter Principle in action.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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