How to Define Deadweight
Teams rise when you ditch deadweight.
“[Will] Felps estimates that teams with just one deadbeat, downer, or asshole suffer a performance disadvantage of 30 to 40 percent compared to teams that have no bad apples.” (Bob Sutton in, Good Boss Bad Boss.)
How to define deadweight:
#1. People who have it all together. You want dedication to personal growth, not someone who has arrived.
#2. People who go to bed with the status quo. The best team players pursue excellence. Listen for, “How can we do better?”
#3. People in it exclusively for themselves.
#4. People who don’t share team values.
#5. People who don’t adapt. It’s their way or the highway.
#6. People who focus on weakness.
#7. People who are constantly overbooked.
#8. People who lack emotional intelligence. Dead-weight doesn’t understand how they drain energy from others.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is twice as important as IQ and technical skill for jobs at all levels. (HBR)
#9. People who say no as a matter of habit.
#10. People who dismiss feedback.
#11. People who lack transparency. Performance requires trust.
#12. People who wait to be told what to do.
Perfection:
Everyone on your team is somewhere on the above list including you. No one has it all together. See #1.
You aren’t looking for perfection. You’re looking for people dedicated to improvement.
The most important thing:
The most important thing is energy.
“Being an energizer is 4X more important than your title, position in a hierarchy, position in an influence network, or your position in an information network.” Kim Cameron
Action item:
Discuss the deadweight-list with your team. Put yourself on the list. Ask them to find themselves on the list. Explore ways to become energizers.
If you don’t run a team, explore ways to personally bring positive energy.
Which items on the deadweight-list do you frequently see in others? In yourself?
20 Positive Ways to Confront Poor Performance
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Thank you so much for the “action item.” I love this idea of deadweight and I am on the list. We all have deadweight and we can lose a few pounds. 🙂
So glad you found that useful. A little transparency goes a long way.
Dan, this is a great, non-threatening, way to evaluate oneself. I’m posting this list at my desk. Thank you!
Contracted deadweight is the worst. Especially, when they have contractual rights. It takes work to rid a system of them but it is worth the pain.
As I business owner I play musical chairs every month with my employees. No chair equals no job. You should see them scramble! Lol. Sometimes the loser will cry about having a family and a mortgage which is a great example to the others. It’s a win, win! Remember that the “New Broom Sweeps Best”!