Tuesday - Jo in the Firing Line

I consider that there is a role for everyone in my team.

Each executive has their own very individual strengths and I focus (listen to me getting all management speak on you) on magnifying those positives whilst at the same time developing the areas in which they are weakest.

Jo for instance, gives great phone. She is polite, professional, charming and positive to the person on the other end of the line. It doesn't matter that she's reading the latest issue of Heat when she's talking because the customer doesn't know, and will have melted like butter at the end of the call, no matter what their grievance, thinking they have just been hand-delivered exceptional customer service.

Which, they have. But Jo was reading about Jordan and Peter Andre when she provided it.

It's all about perception at the end of the day.

Likewise if I know I need a monotonous but high volume task completed. Then I know Jo's your (wo)man. She doesn't do detail, but she clears a backlog like it's a bar lined with vodka jellies.

But it was perception that called me into Anne's hole this morning. The perception that because Jo is loud, flirty and bubbly that she is vacuous, lazy and a waste of space. Anne had Jo's timesheet in hand as evidence to support her theory.

"What are your impressions of Jo?" Anne asked.

I almost told her how productive Jo was but knew how many bullets the timesheet Anne held had loaded. There were no categories on the sheets for the work that Jo output. Anne had had issues with her since she'd joined the team. It was probably these reservations that had placed her in my reporting line as opposed to Jez's.

"She cleared the November backlog pretty much single-handedly. She's kept the file allocation to a minimum. She's not working for a career but she'll process what's put in front of her," I told Anne.

Anne was blunt and to the point. "She's not processing anywhere near as much work as she should be with the amount of experience she has. She needs to improve or I'll have to manage her out,"

"But she's processing more of the backlog than anyone else, and file allocation has been kept up to date since she took it over."

"But she's not closing as many complaints as Gareth, Dan or even Ted for that matter."

"She's doing more than Kate,"

"Kate has other duties,"

At this point I knew that putting forward Jo's case was a pointless exercise.

"I'll get Jo up to speed," I told Anne.

So now Jo's working day is set on solely closing complaints. The backlog isn't being processed, the files are not getting allocated and the customers are missing out on Jo's great phone service. But if it can get Jo out of the firing line it'll be worth it.

There is a strapline that can be found throughout the company on numerous walls and posters. It is a quote from the CEO and it reads:

"Without the Customer, we are not a business. Without the Customer, we have no business. Our Business are our Customers. Remember this every day."

I did remember this, as I tasked Jo with ignoring the customers, just so she could appease Anne and avoid being fired.