A manufacturing business has a
10-year-old machine that’s central
to its production line. Because
of regular maintenance, this
machine has performed splendidly over
the years. Hundreds of millions of dollars
of product have passed through it,
and the expectation is that millions of
dollars more will follow this path to the
customer.
The company’s production line was
originally built around this machine,
called “Old Bobby” after its first operator.
One day Old Bobby begins to act up;
rejects start
to pile up and
then a hose breaks loose, scalding the
operator. Old Bobby goes from a
dependable workhorse to a troublesome
and cranky hunk of metal. What is the
vice president of manufacturing to do?
Dismantle Old Bobby and put it on the
scrap heap, or bring in the best mechanic
and see if Old Bobby can be fixed?
Most VPs would probably opt for the fix.
Now think about this: What if Old
Bobby were actually an account manager,
not a machine? What if Old
Bobby was one of your most valuable
performers (MVPs)? Would you fire
him or fix him?
Fixing him is the better solution because
you know how he
works and the results he
is capable of producing.
A new machine or person
may come with great
credentials but may not
work out or fit in with
your environment.
The MVP has changed, and the
business has not. Development plans
may have been sidelined or abandoned.
MVPs desire challenge.
In summary,
MVPs are off-thebalance-sheet
assets who, each
morning, choose to
come to work and
contribute to the success of the
organization.
Diagnosing The
Falling MVP
You may have seen old silent
movies depicting a team of firemen
maneuvering a big circle of canvas under
a burning building, trying to catch a
tenant jumping to escape the flames.
The firemen scoot from side to side to
determine the best spot to make the
catch. If it was a Keystone Kops comedy,
they usually missed.
Catching a falling MVP is like the
firemen’s scoot—it takes a team and
some consideration of the individual’s
particular landing spot.
Here are some issues to consider
when diagnosing the cause of the problem:
- MVPs, by nature, question the status
quo. They are constantly looking for
ways to improve product, process and
people. Is the current disruption due to
colleagues who feel threatened by the
MVP’s questions, or is the MVP behaving
in a way that engenders problems?
If the MVP is facing resistance in the
face of improvement, you will want to
tell the MVP of the problems being created
and work with the MVP to overcome
this resistance.
If the MVP’s behaviors are disruptive
and give rise to problems while linking
to thoughtful improvement, you will
want to let the MVP know as soon as
possible. Then work with the MVP to
take responsibility for the problems and
find a way to resolve any open issues.
- Is there a prior history to the problems
and how were they resolved?
If there was a prior history, you
will be able to talk with the MVP about
the linkage and discuss what was
learned previously that could be of use
now.
If you are a relatively new manager of
this MVP, seek out institutional memory.
Check with HR to learn what they
know and recommend; talk with the
previous manager; check with your boss
if he or she was in place before you.
- Has something dramatic changed
for the MVP at work or outside of work?
To successfully manage an MVP over
time, a manager knows what an MVP
does to succeed and also knows who the
MVP is as a person. MVPs value personal
connections with their cohorts, and
these connections can be the foundation
of a thoughtful MVP “catch.”
Making the Catch
To catch an MVP, you must reach out.
Initially managers become aware that
something is wrong by seeing slight differences
in behavior, hearing general
concerns from co-workers or customers,
or noticing a drop in quality. Once your
thinking has grown from awareness to
concern, you should act. You can choose
to act directly or to seek guidance from
your boss and from human resources.
Either way you should talk with the
MVP early and often. Let them know of
your concerns. Share with them the specific
problems that their behavior can
cause. Ask them to work with you to find
a solution.
It is important to talk about observed
behaviors and not about opinions. An
example of an opinion is “You are pretty
angry at Paul.” The MVP can respond by
saying, “No I’m not. I am happy with
Paul.” Opinions can lead to arguments
that eventually lead nowhere good.
You can talk about a behavior by saying,
“In our morning meeting, you told
Paul that he was undermining your
authority with your people and he had
better stop it. I don’t know if you saw
this, but Paul and his direct report
looked surprised and confused by this.
Later, I took Paul aside and he told me
that he had been responding to questions
from your people.” It is difficult to
argue with this recitation of an observed
behavior. At this point the manager
could remind the MVP that meetings
are not the place to air a grievance, ask
why the MVP’s people are going to others
for answers and talk with the MVP
regarding his or her job well-being.
During this time the manager can
assess what’s going on with the MVP.
Has business alignment changed to
self-interest? Has opportunity morphed
into entitlement? Has developing
others solidified into exaggerated selfimportance?
In other words, has the
person lost the MVP’s characteristics?
If so, he needs to know that what once
made him indispensable has slipped
away and that you, the manager, want
to work with him to regain that effective
edge.
The MVP as an Example
In research on corporate MVPs, we
found that senior executives and HR
professionals valued their MVPs as examples
of what is best about their business.
They could point to the MVP and
say to other employees, and to themselves,
“We have a great community of
people here, and our MVPs embody our
values.” This is not a surprise.
When we began to ask questions
about fallen MVPs, we received a consistent
response that did surprise us. In
summary, we were told that if an MVP’s
performance falls, it is best to fix it
quickly or, if it can’t be fixed, come down
hard on the MVP. If you have presented
an MVP as a positive example, then you
must demonstrate that management
will manage negative examples.
One company president went so far
as to say that he comes down harder on
his best people because he and the other
employees look to the MVP for leadership.
“Being an MVP means accepting
responsibility for your actions—good or
bad,” he says. “It does not entitle the person
to a free pass to an immune position.
MVPs need to be held to a higher
standard than their colleagues.”
The message here is simple: Don’t
avoid the problem altogether. Assume
that MVPs are less than 5 percent of
your employees. This small group is
composed of your most valuable people.
Not only do they perform at the
highest levels, they improve your entire
business.
Do all you can to help a falling MVP or
to bring back a fallen MVP. These employees
have proven their value and their commitment
to the business; they have earned
the opportunity to improve. It may cost
you, as the manager, and the company
time and money -- but you will recover one
of your most valuable assets.
William Roiter, Ph.D., is founder and
managing partner of Executive Performance
Group, a business consulting and
executive coaching firm in Newton,
Mass. Margaret
Butteriss is an organizational effectiveness
and leadership development consultant
and former vice president of
human resources at Fidelity, based
in Boston. Roiter and
Butteriss co-authored Corporate MVPs:
Managing Your Company’s Most Valuable
Performers (Wiley, 2004).
