OVERCOMPENSATING

Two weeks ago, I sustained a hangnail injury on my right thumb that became deeply infected. The hangnail caught on an article of clothing which, in turn, ripped the skin causing a deep cut to the cuticle and a nasty flow of blood. Within hours, my finger became swollen to twice its size, was extremely tender to the touch, throbbed incessantly, and an infection set in. As a result, my thumb was rendered unusable and I had to conduct my daily activities without its use. Not as easy as one thinks. Simple tasks, such as putting the key in the lock, brushing my teeth or hair, typing, etc., became either painful, more time consuming, difficult to accomplish, or all of the above. I found myself having to overcompensate for the temporary loss of my thumb. It was incredibly frustrating and I couldn’t wait to have the full use of my hand back.

This got me to thinking about our ever dwindling job market and the temporary loss of talented employees.

Over the past 18 months, I’ve conducted countless interviews where candidates candidly spoke about how overworked they were due to having to take on the extra duties for the work of two, three or, in some instances, more people. Mind you, almost all did so without a salary increase. Due to the severe budget cuts that so many companies have had to undergo, those fortunate enough to keep their jobs, have been required to take on additional responsibilities that have mandated they go way above and beyond the call of their duties, or, like their fellow former co-workers, they too could be out of a job. Out of fear of losing their jobs, most have complied. As the months have worn on, these dedicated, overworked individuals have become worn out. How effective has this practice been? They have had to consistently overcompensate and pick up the slack. As a result, they’ve become exhausted, disenfranchised, disappointed and disengaged. Yes, companies have been able to save money running a leaner organization; however, those employees who have been doubly and triply tasked will, at the first chance, leave their respective company’s for a more doable role, and recruiting will have to hire not one, but two or more individuals to replace them. Which begs us to ask the question, did they really save any money in the long run? Sure, they saved some money at the upstart, but the costs of having to replace good talent is highly underestimated.

Unlike my hangnail, where some triple antibiotic cream and a bandage eventually cured my finger, you can’t put a Band-Aide cure on this dilemma. The problem is become more widespread and the cure will come at a greater cost. There’s a lesson to be learned in running a lean organization. If we do so at the cost of exceptionally talented people, then you’ve failed at running lean and have simply put your human capital in intensive care.

My remaining four healthy fingers had to overcompensate for the lack of my thumb. As a result, I had muscle cramps in two of my fingers and a slight pain that ran down from my middle finger to my wrist. What was initially strong, healthy, and productive hand was now becoming overworked and less mobile as a result of not having all digits doing their job. It's overall effectiveness had been compromised.

As vitally important as it is to attempt to run a lean organization, it’s important to keep in mind that you need to have the right individuals in the right role. Like my finger, you can’t expect the pinky to effectively do the job of the job of the thumb. Your output will suffer and you’ll end up with a weak, and potentially costly, end result. Each role is vital to the overall outcome and, collectively, with the right talent in the right positions, you cannot only run a highly effective and efficient organization but you do so with minimal loss of exceptional talent.

Copyright 2010