An excerpt from Chapter 21 of Change is Good…You Go First:

"Life is full of choices…some people will choose to work for the team and embrace your culture. Others will not." -John Murphy

It’s a reality an outgoing leader finds hard to bear. Some people won’t like where you’re leading them; others might not like you.

Like it or not, leaders must continually "pull the weeds" or their team’s growth will be stifled. A "weed" makes its own rules, undermining camaraderie and consensus. They refuse to share and participate. They reject accountability and shift blame to others. Don’t be fooled. "Weeds" can seem harmless…but, they’ll do everything they can to take over your garden.

For years, Jack Welch had a rule that his managers must develop criteria to measure the performance of all the employees. They were instructed to identify the bottom ten percent in each department and replace them with "new blood." His controversial rule caused some problems for G.E. and was eventually eliminated in the name of political correctness, but it’s hard to argue with the company’s long-term success.  I disagree with tying employment to a percentage, but I agree that new faces and fresh ideas can improve a company, especially when they are supplanting weeds.

In the long run, if a leader keeps to the path of least resistance and lets weeds grow, they will risk losing credibility with those who make the team flourish.

That wraps up our Change is Good…You Go First series.  Thanks to everyone who has paid attention for this long.  Keep an eye on the blog for good things to come in the new year…