I don’t buy the pretence that a good hire should stay forever. I want them to do good work, build the life they want and help the business move forward. Sometimes that relationship ends with them leaving. That doesn’t wipe out what they contributed.

Ken Rusk returns with a practical way to connect personal ambition to business performance: personal timed pathways. I push him on the dependable people who don’t want promotion, the danger of backing an individual at the expense of the team, and what to change in your one-to-ones when targets are being missed and there’s no extra budget.

In this episode

Here’s what I’d put to work:

• Ask what each person is working towards personally. Turn one ambition into a personal timed pathway: a clear outcome, a deadline and an action already under way.
• Give people authority over revenue and costs in their area, with a financial stake in the decisions. Let them solve problems you once thought only you could solve.
• Give the pathway board an owner. Ken’s chief cool officer keeps it active; after two weeks, check which plans are clear, written down and actually moving.
• Separate knowledge, desire and ability when someone isn’t delivering. Don’t let how much you like them replace a difficult performance decision.
• Be honest when someone wants more than the business can provide. Recognise what they’ve contributed rather than pretending every successful relationship must last forever.

Episode highlights

[04:11] My test for autonomy: what can your people decide without you?

[07:22] A dependable nine-to-five employee can be a rock star. Promotion isn’t the test.

[09:17] A holiday, a deadline and weekly savings: what a personal timed pathway actually looks like.

[12:39] The first mistake: trying to make everyone’s progress your responsibility.

[22:20] I’ve backed the individual and done the wrong thing for the team.

[24:41] A great employee leaves. Have I failed, or has the relationship worked?

[27:00] Missing target, no extra budget. What changes in next week’s one-to-ones?

Links and resources

• kenrusk.com: The website Ken shares for more about his work and books.
• @kenruskofficial: Ken’s Instagram account, where he discusses culture.
• Rock stars and rain makers: The book behind our conversation about culture, retention and the chief cool officer.
• Blue collar cash: The book Ken and I discussed on his previous appearance.
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/006298960X?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Thanks for listening. I’d appreciate a rating and a review; follow the show and share this episode with a founder or MD who’s trying to keep good people without standing in their way.