The Placeholder, The Pro and The Producer:
Progressions in Worker Performance
Nothing sets
the pace of organizational success like the productivity and performance of its
employees. There are several interventions which can be employed to enhance the
quality and quantity of work produced by a company’s workforce, but before
rolling out such interventions, it is important to first identify which tactics
would work most optimally on which individuals. It has been said that a happy
employee is a productive employee, but I submit different employs who are at
different levels of professional development require different interventions to
bring them to that happy, fulfilled and therefore productive state. Some may
require structure, guidance and direction, while others would perform much
better with less oversite. Tailoring your management style specifically to the
performance level of the employee will go far in supporting and improving their
overall performance. This will bring about the best result for the employee and
the organization as a whole. Here are three levels of worker performance and
how they can advance or hinder organizational goals.
The Placeholder
Most new
employees will identify with the “Placeholder”. The Placeholder’s mantra is,
“Hot damn, I have a job!!” The Placeholder values employment as a means to get
what they want in the world. The job pays the bills and allows them to acquire
material things and take care of their family. The Placeholder will follow the
rules and fulfill their work requirements because of the external reward of a
paycheck. They come to work, do their job, and go home. The advantages of
having placeholders in the workplace are few. Sure every organization needs
faces to fill positions and Placeholders do that, but they are basically
interchangeable with any other face, and they will be. As soon as a Placeholder
finds another employer offering more of that external reward, money, they will
be gone and the company will have to find another face to fill the position.
What’s worse is the Placeholder has no desire to progress in the company or
contribute anything new, so their value to the company is relatively small, and
the relationship is merely transactional. You do work for me, I give you money.
The employee’s development and the company’s ROI are both fairly flat.
Hopefully most employees who may begin as Placeholders, will progress to the
next level of employee performance, the Pro.
The Pro
It will take
a variable amount of time for an employee to evolve from a Placeholder to a
Pro, but it is in the best interest of both the employee and the organization
to get every employee to this level. A Pro still appreciates the fact that they
have a job, but now what they do isn’t merely a job to them, it has become a
career. To the Pro, there are internal as well as external rewards derived from
what they do for their employer. The Pro sees their workplace as an environment
in which they are valued for the talents and skills they possess. They desire
to use and continually develop these skills and talents to promote and grow
within the organization. The Pro receives intellectual stimulation, a feeling
of belonging, and a creative outlet from their employer. They turn these
internal rewards into enhanced productivity and performance which benefits the
employer. The employer recognizes the increased performance and rewards the
employee with more intellectual and creative stimulation which keeps the
employee thriving and growing. This continues so that the investments made by
both the employer and the employee return benefits to each resulting in a
stronger more relevant company and a more productive and engaged workforce. Any
organization would do well to nurture and develop most of their employees to
the level of the Pro where performance is in high gear, but there is one more
level of performance to discuss. Many Pro’s will grow into Producers, and
Producers become the moving force of the organization. It is important to
identify and groom the Producers to succeed high ranking officers in the
company as those officers leave the company due to retirement.
The Producer
Not all
workers will rise to the level of Producer. For the Producer, work is not a
job, not a career, but a calling. Their mantra is, “I was meant to do this work
and I have something unique to offer.” Producers are operating on all cylinders
and as the title suggests, they produce for the company. Not merely followers
of policy and procedure, Producers are capable of developing new policies and
new ways of accomplishing tasks to more efficiently reach company goals. They
will innovate and create new strategies and projects to make the organization
more relevant and effective. The company remains strong by having a large
number of Pros in their ranks, but the company needs Producers to move forward
into uncharted territory. The Producers of today are the CEO’s and the
Administrators of tomorrow and if a company’s Producers are not actively being
groomed for succession, this is definitely something the company should be
doing.
Strong
organizations have Placeholders, Pros, and Producers. It is important to
nurture and support workers to continually elevate their level of productivity
and performance. To do this, a manager needs to know when to provide close
guidance and direction, and when to release some control and allow the employee
to have some autonomy. Properly managing the workforce to set and achieve high
performance standards is the key to running a flourishing and successful
business.
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