Here’s to the quiet ones, those of you who make a difference at work but often go unnoticed and unrecognised by business leaders!
I’ve adapted the quote attributed to Steve Jobs ‘Here’s to the Crazy Ones’ to reflect the often untapped potential you all posses.
“Here’s to the quiet ones, the often forgotten ones. They’re not misfits or rebels or troublemakers but round pegs in the round holes that quietly get on with delivering value and stable productivity to businesses.
They’re fond of rules because it gives them structure, predictability and certainty.
Business leaders can look down on them or even vilify them but they will still do what they need to in spite of such a view from above.
About the only thing leaders shouldn’t do is ignore them, because they are the backbone to the company that will deliver no matter what.
They are the motivated and conscientious ones who are simply uninspired by some leaders but if given proper attention to, they can improve and collectively lift the company higher or push it faster forward.
And while some may see them as the average ones, the geniuses see the potential for awesome collective impact. Those leaders who are courageous enough to stop, think and really notice these people, are the ones who will embrace and utilise the combined power of the quiet ones.”
Business leaders and for that matter, all lines of management spend most of their time trying to get rid of the bottom 20% of performers and keeping the top 20%, who incidentally tend to be the ones who move on.
The remaining 60% that cause no disruption and quietly get on with their jobs are the ones who get ignored and yet, have the potential to make the most difference to a businesses health (profitability) if only leaders recognised this and developed it.
Take the example of a change manager tasked with the responsibility of improving performance of a global communications field sales force where sales were drifting way off target.
He led a management development program that included management psychology training and coaching for two-dozen sales managers and also, buyer style awareness training for the field sales force in excess of 100.
The program lasted 3 months and during this time, sales improved by 9%, which was equivalent to more than £4m in annual revenues, virtually all of which hit the bottom line because fixed costs were already accounted for.
There were no other initiatives or incentives in place at the time and sales results for the same period in previous years were reviewed to see if there were any noticeable trends, there weren’t.
Anecdotal feedback was captured and all sales reporting analysed to ensure evidence of results was robust, it was and it was during this process that uncovered a surprising find:
Everyone, including the change manager expected across the board improvements but it showed that the top were maxed out already, the bottom were there for a reason and it proved very difficult to change this but the middle group held the key to the lock when it came to lifting overall performance.
- Sales results for the top 20% of sales managers and field sales people barely moved the needle!
- The same was the case for the bottom 20%, no noticeable change in performance!
- The improvements came almost entirely from the middle 60%!
For those of you reading this that consider yourself to be in the middle 60% of employees in your organisation, recognise this:
You are the backbone of your company, the predictable performers who can step up if and when the organisation requires it, develops it within you by giving you the attention you deserve and most of all, sincerely appreciates and values it.
So, be proud of who you are and the contribution you make because it’s an important one, whether it’s recognised or not by business leaders, it matters and you play a key part in helping keep them in their jobs.
For all of you making such a vital contribution, in a word…. Respect!
Here’s To The Quiet Ones!
Best Regards
Reece
Changing Mindsets — Changing Results
Reece’s Business Experience & Expertise
Reece has operated and led businesses across a variety of industries and sectors, transferring his philosophies in each one to create results that have gained him recognition for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Business’ awards in separate companies including FTSE 100. He’s helped grow UK businesses or business units of major corporations from scratch to nearly £20 million in annual revenues and high profit margins; these include a turnaround business service organisation, establishing overseas high tech propositions into the UK Fraud Market and leading top performing sales channels and transformation projects within blue-chip organisations.
