Don't Pass on the Gravy
The development team was sent to the southwestern part of Rhode Island to kick off a project with a new client. New to the team myself, this was my first kick-off event where I would take the lead for the project’s duration. If you’ve been in one of these meetings, you know at some point roles and responsibilities are covered. After exchanging pleasantries, I went through the details and scope of the project. It was then I discovered the importance of first-impressions. When introducing the roles for everyone on the team, the client asked what it was I did. What value was I adding?
Engagement Manager, my official role, was typically the project lead/manager once a project kicked off. My response to the client, however – and to this day I’m not 100% sure why – was to respond with an analogy. I went on to explain that while the content designer was the meat and the visual designer the potatoes, I was the gravy; connecting everyone together, like the food on a Thanksgiving plate. I’ve been Gravy ever since…
Connecting everyone together,
like the food on a Thanksgiving plate
Whether in large organizations, startups or somewhere in the middle, HR personnel and hiring managers look for several aspects of a candidate’s history that fit within a construct of the interviewing process; the candidate’s education and experience, whether it fits with the position’s prescribed responsibilities. I too have relied on this approach, especially when sifting through hundreds of resumes.
Once on board, the relationship between manager and report continues in this manner and performance is evaluated and measured using the same format; often a list of criteria handed down from HR or an expensive third-party platform. Where, after a set amount of time, the employee is graded, categorically, against defined areas of measurement – often ambiguous or not really aligning to what that person does in their role or how they contribute to the organization.
I found this to be true in my role as Gravy. While carrying out the responsibilities of the Engagement Manager (EM), learning the inner workings of my firm and the client’s organization was key. I quickly became aware that if we were to build a quality relationship with the client and I was to succeed in my role, I would need to establish relationships and processes not inherent to the EM position and certainly not part of normal operations or management expectations. As Gravy, I was able to cultivate stronger relationships and the initial project gave way to the next and the next. We became their preferred partner and team and they became one of our top engagements. We won industry awards with them! None of this would have happened if we – the whole team – stuck to the prescribed list of evaluation criteria. I’m quite certain we would have been one and done.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many smart, perceptive people in my career. Someone who gave me sage advice I still use when evaluating performance, performance of anyone or anything, is there is a big difference between what gets measured and what matters. Many times the difference between the two can lead to relationships and companies succeeding or failing.
There is a big difference between what gets measured
and what matters
People are biased by nature. We tend to focus on what we know and lean toward the easy route when making decisions. The same goes for measuring performance. The things that get measured tend to be things we can easily measure; a grade on a test, likes on a post, stars in a review, and dollars through the door. These things become important by definition. When organizations make important the things that can be easily measured, everyone and everything is evaluated using that lens. Changing what’s measured to what actually matters can seem like an impossible task.
It’s never been more important for managers to change the way they look at their positions. To step back and evaluate whether their reports are measured on factors that matter or are just easy to measure. We all want things to work and to succeed. We want to know how score is kept and to feel comfortable with what’s expected of us. Removing ambiguity from the evaluation process using straightforward methods.
For firms with an established track record of performance based on the bottom-line or using what Eric Ries (The Lean Startup) calls vanity metrics, and for people with well defined roles and responsibilities, this can be an easy pitch-and-catch between manager and report. But for those organizations who rely on staying ahead of their competition or more importantly, the changing expectations of customer, there needs to be a role for those who sense what’s happening and respond in a way that provides value to the customer. Focusing more on what Dan Heath calls upstream thinking (Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen) – Gravy.
The Gravy role needs to be looked at differently – it provides value in different, seemingly unconventional ways and the people in the role should be evaluated accordingly. It’s not easy for managers, especially from a more conventional sense. Managers who are rigid or required to follow prescribed evaluations, or who are simply unaware as to how they need to change; to fit the specific needs of the individual, will find it challenging.
So to all the Gravies. I see you. I understand your challenges. What you do matters and should count in a way that shows your value to the organization.
In my next article I will provide ways to engage in a conversation with your manager and how your role might be looked at and evaluated against other roles within the organization. I’ll also provide an action plan to help build out a case for adopting the role of Gravy. I’ll also be providing details for managers and how they might approach someone who fits the Gravy description and how to work together to be more successful. Please stay tuned…