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Bridging THE GAP
KRIENGSAK NIRATPATTANASAI
'Khun Kriengsak, what should I do?" Khun Dee asks me.
"What's happening?"
"Last week, my boss, the regional director from Singapore, gave me a last warning. I have to do something to improve the performance of my chief operating officer (COO)."
"Tell me more about this COO."
"She's 54, has been with company for 20 years. She wants to stay here for one more year and then retire. The problem is she delivers only 30% of her work. I have to carry the other 70% of her responsibility."
"Khun Dee, realistically how much of her work should she be able to deliver?"
"She should be able to do up to 70%, and I would be able to cover the other 30% for her."
"Did you ask her to do more - up to 70%?"
"Not yet. I'm worried that she might not want to do it."
"Khun Dee, do you think she doesn't want to do it or you don't want to talk to her?" I ask, knowing that Khun Dee is a jai-on (soft-hearted) person.
Khun Dee is silent.
I continue. "Khun Dee, what you're doing now is not fair for everyone. First of all, it's not fair for your customers. You have a key person who does not deliver according to company expectations.
"Hence, you have to carry her burden. Instead of allocating your time and effort to create value for your customers, you spend your time carrying her load. Hence, your customers don't get what they're supposed to get.
"Secondly, you're not fair to your shareholders because you let one person steal a company resource - in this case, your time. Seventy percent of her workload is delegated to you. Again, instead of using your time to maximise values for your shareholders, you spend it on a weak performer.
"Thirdly, you are not fair to your staff because instead of coaching and supporting all members as you're supposed to, you spend the majority of your time working 'for' this person.
"Lastly, you are unfair to society. Your company would make more profit if this COO delivered her work. More profit means more tax money for society.
"You might think that you're being a kind person to this COO but you're not being fair to lot of people."What would happen if you do nothing?"
"My boss will terminate me, I guess."
"I think so, Khun Dee. Then, what's next?"
"Then, the company will replace me with a new capable CEO. I am sure that person will take care of this weak COO. Either the new CEO will be able to change the COO's behaviour or she will be terminated."
"Khun Dee, let me tell you a story from the book Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew Grove. He was a former chairman of the board of Intel Corporation. He told this story about a crisis during the 1980s. He and his co-founder Gordon Moore had to make a tough decision to stop an old product line that had been successful for a long time. They had an emotional attachment to their people and the product. This tough decision meant laying off a lot of people and shutting down assembly plants. It was painful, but it was the right decision to make for Intel to succeed. Here's what Mr Grove wrote in the book:
"'I remember a time in the middle of 1985, after this aimless wandering had been going on for almost a year. I was in my office with Intel's chairman and CEO (at that time), Gordon Moore, and we were discussing our quandary. Our mood was downbeat. I looked out the window at the Ferris wheel of the Great America amusement park revolving in the distance, then I turned back to Gordon and I asked, 'If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do?' Gordon answered without hesitation, 'He would get us out of memories (the old semiconductor business, memory chips).' I stared at him, numb, then said, 'Why shouldn't you and I walk out the door, come back and do it ourselves?"'
The rest is history.
"What did you learn, Khun Dee?"
"I should do the same. I can imagine myself walking out the door and coming back with the fresh perspective of a new CEO. Then, I deal with my COO professionally."
"That's good. Let's prepare a discussion with your COO."
We discuss several action plans to make the COO modify her behaviour.
Kriengsak Niratpattanasai provides executive coaching in leadership and diversity management under the brand TheCoach. He can be reached at coachkriengsak@yahoo.com. Copies of previous columns are available at http://www.thaicoach.com
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