Why do we continue to make this mistake?

Managers for decades have tried to use this concept as a motivational tool. Corporate entrepreneurs and leaders know that this does not work. It is important to understand that you do not have to use these specific words, it is the concept that we are referencing.

were they really a zero

Even the title of “zero to hero” implies that until the employee reached the goal you set, they were considered a zero by you and your management team. Why would you keep people around that are zero’s? Words have meaning, implied or otherwise. If they were a zero, then what does that say about the people that were managing them!

why were they a zero

If someone goes from zero to hero it means that your management team did not do a good job of rewarding activities that lead to success. Corporate entrepreneurial leaders in every job understand that it is their job to identify employees strengths and weaknesses. Then, they must capitalize on the strengths and strengthen their weaknesses.

how does this hurt the company

There are many ways this concept has hurt good organizations.

• It lets all the other employees know that you think they are all zero’s unless they obtain your goals.
• Employee moral is destroyed, which translates into everyone only doing what they need to do, not what they are capable of doing.
• We have found that companies that incorporate this tactic have a 30% higher employee turnover than companies of similar size that don’t use this tactic
• Departments that use tactic experience additional rework due to employees attempting to avoid being embarrassed by being considered zeros
• Companies that use this tactic have a poor rating on sites employees use to decide who to work for

what is the corporate entrepreneurial alternative

Creating a culture based on mutual benefit is the best way to identify employees that are not meeting their performance goals. This will make the success of each team/department member, in part the responsibility of the other team/department members.

1. eliminate competition between team members
2. make the competition based on each team member improvement (don’t rank them based on who makes the most improvement)
3. identify when a team member is struggling, and work with them and the group to identify best practices to help them improve
4. don’t reward success without understanding how it happened
   • was it a one off situation
   • can it be repeated
   • was it only that team members work that made the success
5. create an understanding of the interconnectedness of each member as well as with other departments
6. develop a “corporate wisdom” repository that is easy to access
7. communicate best practices as well as what is not working
8. instill mightiness in team members so that they will not be afraid to ask for support or try new and innovative ideas
9. create a mutual benefit culture

it’s not easy, but it is worth the effort

You will find that your team will be more:

• self-managing
• self-reliant
• accountable
• innovative
• productive

If that does not make your job easier, then it is time to find a new job!