Sep 28, 2012

Keep your job -game, are you in?


I had the pleasure of listening to Brian Tracy last week at a seminar and among all the interesting tips he gave us on managing our tasks and time, leading to better business if I may simplify his message, one thing that hit me like a fast train was his "Keep your job -game".

It goes something like this: Let's get all the managers with people responsibility together and let's have them make a list of all the people in their teams. Once that list is ready, let's have them write down the main goals of work for each of these team members. Once that list is full, let's then go to each of these team members and ask them to write down the main goals of their work. Then we compare lists and those managers whose team members have a matching list of goals get to keep their job. The others get fired.

Brian told us he's proposed to play this game with many many clients around the world. No one has ever wanted to participate. Because they are not sure if their people know what the goals of their work are.

I thought: "Wow, I believe this."

If you have been hired or promoted as a people manager, it is your sole job to set and communicate goals of work and follow them up. There is no other purpose for the role of a people manager.

I think we can all do better. We can. Can't we? Please tell me we can.

/ Susanna