Fewer places on earth are more frustrating to do business with than the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Your low expectations are met with an even lower level of enthusiasm when you enter the building and are put in multiple queues before getting service. That is, when you can get in a queue. Many times you get bounced out for not bringing in a certain form or document. Your highest hope for the experience is met when the visit “didn’t suck.”
Why is this? The experience is universally bad (we even experienced DMV suckage in Guam). Sure it’s the process, but it’s also the people. And maybe the reason for this is that nobody as a young child says, “when I grow up, I want to work at the DMV.” You just end up there.
Ending up is what happens when you either don’t have a plan or you give up when your plan doesn’t work. Both are preventable. As The Boss, part of your job is to help your direct reports progress professionally. This means helping them develop career plans and also helping them navigate those plans. Here are some suggestions:
Having a Plan
- Create a Vision. Ask your direct reports what they wanted to be when they were growing up. Have them think through why that was important. Push them to create a vision of where they want to be personally and professionally in the next five to ten years.
- Hold Them Accountable. Use your annual review meetings to refocus the vision. Set some milestones for the year. Work with them to break those into monthly goals.
- Encourage Professional Development. Identify training events and conferences they would benefit from. Begin speaking their vision to them regularly (“Jane, how’s the progress towards owning your own business someday coming along?”).
Pushing Through Defeat
- Start with a Warning. Let your folks know that nothing amazing comes without trials and failures. Set an expectation that the new vision will be hard work.
- Be a Lifeguard. Lifeguards are stationed near the water to prevent drowning. You rest easier if you’re a swimmer if you know they’re around. Let your people know that you’ll rescue them if they get into serious trouble. Pushing forward a new vision might require the occasional rescue.
- Remind them of the Goal. When they get discouraged, focus them on what life will look like when that personal vision is achieved. (“Jane, think how good it will feel when one day, as The Boss of your own company, you’ll have the power to make those decisions.”)
“Ending up” might be one of the worst punishments a person can experiences. As The Boss, you create a legacy of greatness by being the person responsible for helping create a person’s new personal vision. What will you do this week to start using that power?
