Some years ago, while working for a Fortune 100 financial institution, I took over a large collections department. I had a passionate and talented supervisor working for me whose team was struggling to meet its goals. This individual enjoyed great success because his contagious passion, skill as a collector, and dedication to his team inspired his employees to excel. But then the economy turned sour. Business conditions, customer circumstances, and meeting goals became significantly more challenging. The supervisor’s response to these challenges was to pump up the passion to improve performance through sheer force of personality. It didn’t work. While his passion was admirable, it was not balanced by a strong set of fundamental management skills.

This is not an uncommon scenario. Many people promoted into management positions rely on their natural talent and passion for continued success. This works well until the going gets rough.

The great recession has changed the way business operates. Passion and talent are not enough anymore; strong business acumen and management skills are more critical now than ever before. Successful managers in today’s business environment will be those who can channel their passion into skilled execution.

The good news is that anyone willing to put in the sacrifice, time, and effort can become a skilled AND passionate manager. There is no mystery to the process, only hard work. Michelangelo stated, “If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all” (brainyquotes.com). Managers need to become students of business in general and students of their own businesses in particular. This involves becoming an avid reader, researcher, and practitioner of business fundamentals.

In the end, employees, customers, and organizations will benefit from Michelangelo managers who sacrifice in order to find the artful balance between passion and skill.

Bill Mugavin is a consultant at FlashPoint. He focuses his consulting in the areas of organizational development, and leadership and management development.

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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In part one, I shared that I often meet frustrated employees who wonder when normalcy will return to the post-recession workplace. My reply is simple: Cuts your company made to stay in business won’t be restored. This is the new reality. I tell them that it’s ultimately up to them to get things moving.

If we viewed our careers as the baton in a relay race, passing through many hands, we would work hard to cultivate relationships—to ensure that the baton doesn’t drop and that we have strong hands to carry us forward. Here’s an idea on how to put the relay back in your career.

List your top 50 relationships. Rank the depth of each relationship on a scale of one to five and do three tasks: 

1. Identify five people with whom you want to deepen your relationship—how will you do this?
2. Identify who is not on the list but should be as you consider your next career steps.
3. Determine if there are negative relationships on your list and decrease the time you spend with these individuals.

The next time you complain about your company, stop. Instead, spend that time cultivating your key relationships. By spending your energy on building your relay team, you’ll advance farther and faster than if you focus your attention on the company you work for and what it can or cannot do for you.

I don’t absolve employers of their responsibility to foster a great culture. To achieve excellence, companies must build systems and programs that connect their people, customers, and community. At FlashPoint I emphasize that organizations can build systems that foster communication, heighten performance, and much more. Balance can be achieved when employees work hard to build strong relationships and when companies do the same.

Krista Skidmore is cofounder and principal of FlashPoint.

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Recent economic challenges have caused many employers to make tough decisions regarding wage cuts, hiring freezes, cost-sharing in employee benefits, and more. As I help organizations make post-recession tweaks to compensation and performance systems, I meet frustrated employees who wonder when normalcy will return. My reply is simple: Cuts your company made to stay in business won’t be restored. This is the new reality.

These experiences have led me to ponder the employer-employee relationship—and, in particular, what professionals should expect of their employers. I’ve decided that people put too much emphasis on their employers and not enough time on their co-workers.

How many times have we heard our friends and family (and maybe even ourselves) lament about how much they dislike their company? A company is nothing more than an inanimate legal shell, so why do we spend so much energy on it, instead of focusing on the relationships we can build? The reason is because it’s easier to focus on the corporation or the boss than it is to focus on what we can control.

When I look at my career, I see that all my successes and opportunities have grown from the relationships I’ve developed. What if we viewed our careers as the baton in a relay race? Our careers pass through many hands. In order to ensure the baton doesn’t drop, we need to cultivate our relationships—to be sure we have strong hands to carry us forward. It’s about the people with whom we surround ourselves.

In part two, I’ll share three thought-provoking tasks to help cultivate relationships. I’ll also share what role the employer must play in creating a culture where talented people want to work.

Meanwhile, what do you think about placing emphasis on your relationships versus on your company?

Krista Skidmore is cofounder and principal of FlashPoint.

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