I've struggled in the past to explain to managers why they have headaches with certain employees. These are individuals that exist everywhere, with slightly different presentations. Some of these employees seem to be unmotivated by career progression, and simply shit all over the place in the course of their daily assignments hoping to drum up an incentive. Others constantly take a cavalier attitude to changes in process and policy, preferring to "wing it" their way, frustrating management who is trying to implement some new (and usually half-baked) idea.
I call these two groups of people Monkeys, and Lion Tamers. These people are at the extremes of extrinsic (Monkeys) and intrinsic (Lion Tamers) sources of motivation.
Handled correctly, these two distinct subsets of a team can both be extremely valuable assets. The key is knowing how to identify if an employee should be categorized as either, or neither.
Handled correctly, these two distinct subsets of a team can both be extremely valuable assets. The key is knowing how to identify if an employee should be categorized as either, or neither.
My grandmother once told me, "Follow your nose, and you'll stay out of trouble. If it smells like a shitty situation, it probably is." Her advice pays off with this simple thought test: Does the employee figuratively squat on his/her branch and throw poo when you try to change things up? If so, you're likely dealing with a Monkey. If you have an employee that is constantly exhibiting praise-seeking behavior for sub-par or merely adequate work, you have a Monkey. If you have a small mammal with a prehensile tail who shrieks like a banshee after loud noises, you have a monkey, and should probably contact Animal Control.
Monkeys can be relatively tame and easy to manage. Others might chew your face off. (Yes, I know that was a chimp. For this analogy, same thing, only bigger and angry.) However, they all want the same thing: bananas and praise. Give simple repeatable tasks to a Monkey, and train him when necessary. Be sure to play an active role in leading a Monkey's training, or he'll come up with his own solutions, which are rarely very good to teach the rest of the crew. To wit:
A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. He orders a drink, and while he's drinking, the monkey jumps all over the place, eating everything behind the bar. Then the monkey jumps on to the pool table and swallows a billiard ball.
The bartender screams at the guy, "Your monkey just ate the cue ball off my pool table -- whole!" "Sorry," replied the guy. "He eats everything in sight, the little bastard. I'll pay for everything." The man finishes his drink, pays and leaves.
Two weeks later, he's in the bar with his pet monkey, again. He orders a drink, and the monkey starts running around the bar. The monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his ass, pulls it out and eats it.
The bartender is disgusted. "Did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks.
"Yeah," replies the guy. "He still eats everything in sight, but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures stuff first."
If you find a bunch of your employees following some ridiculous process, such as sticking things in their ass to check the fit, you've stumbled upon a Monkey process. Monkey see, monkey do. You'll have to quickly retrain the whole bunch on the proper procedures, wasting time and money.
On the other hand, we have Lion Tamers. Lion Tamers are problem solvers. Lion Tamers are rarely dumb. To borrow a phrase from the electricians: There are old Lion Tamers and bold Lion Tamers, but very few old, bold Lion Tamers.
Lion Tamers don't often go by the book. This is because the book is not always applicable to the situation at hand, and following it to the letter will get them eaten. Lion Tamers are creative and not afraid of small failures in the course of learning. Occasionally, they may be labeled as complainers or defiant problem employees. While the label is bad, this is good feedback in action. Lion Tamers can be used to test-drive anything new in your organization: they will inspect it, try it out a few different ways, and ultimately tell you if it is complete crap or not. If it is crap, your Lion Tamers have saved you the trouble of struggling to train Monkeys on a broken tool.
A good manager will identify these differences in their fleet, and make adaptations when dealing with the Monkey or the Lion Tamer, while "regular" management techniques can be used on the rest. Don't give a Monkey a chair and whip and leave him by himself. Without external motivation, he'll sit down on the stage and get eaten by a lion. Be careful not to give the Lion Tamer too many tasks best suited for Monkeys: they'll go find another circus. The Lion Tamer doesn't need daily "attaboys" either, but an occasional round of applause for doing what they enjoy (solving business problems, sometimes for free!) will be appreciated.
In field service, your Monkeys can be trained to be outstanding installation or service technicians. They excel at delivering average to above-average results within a tightly defined problem domain. Provided with tools and materials that meet their needs, they provide consistent results. They may not always deliver perfection, but they are a known asset in their own way.
Conversely, Lion Tamers will get bored without variety. Lion Tamers will want to understand the roles and techniques of those a rung or two above them in the career progression ladder. Handled correctly, this is an excellent way to get a highly-trained, but low tenure employee for relatively cheap. If they hit a career ceiling, such as mandatory years of service prior to a supervisory post or title promotion, branch out into other skill areas. Given a broad view of the business, Lion Tamers can be cultivated into outstanding Ringleaders....I mean, managers. Be sure to pay them what they are worth at all times, or they will again leave for a competing circus, leaving you with a barrel of Monkeys.
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