Spend Your Time With the Right 20%

 

Most everyone is familiar with the 80/20 rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle. By definition, the 80/20 Rule states that about 80% of results come from 20% of the actions. This principle can be applied to just about anything – life, economics, business, etc. Today we are going to apply it to a team.

At a recent Mega Agent Business Intensive, Brett Tanner and I did a training about the bell curve of your team. Here is the breakdown of that bell curve:

  • 20% of your agents sit at the top of your company
  • 60% hang out in the middle
  • The remaining 20% fall to the bottom.

Looking back at the Pareto Principle, we understand that 20% is the key number. Therefore, it is important that you are spending your time with the RIGHT 20% of your people. Let’s break this down further…

The top 20% are typically the most focused and most driven. They are usually the ones who put in the most elbow grease, therefore getting the most results. These team members are probably not just hitting their goals, but exceeding them.

The bottom 20% are the weakest links, and they usually know who they are. This group typically has more personal issues going on. They are most likely the team members with many excuses for why they are not achieving their goals.

The middle 60% are just there. They are not the ones knocking down performance goals, or making history. However, they do not rely on excuses or personal issues to takeover either. They simply strive to hit their goals, and usually no more or less.

Looking at the outline of this curve, who would you spend your time, energy and passion with? I hope you said the top 20%. Work with them, coach them, and groom them to be the best of the best.. They show qualities that deserve your time and effort – they are sponge-like and absorb anything and everything you teach them. Furthermore, you do not want to ignore the 60% completely. Rather, you want to be selective about which of them you are coaching and pushing to that next level. Determine which of the 60%-ers want it the most; the ones willing to learn and grow to be better.

The bell curve will always exist within your team. People may fall or rise in the curve, but remember that there will always be 20% that are creating 80% of the results.

 

 

 

COACH’S TIP

 

I think the above really speaks for itself.  At the end of the day you really have to be clear what 20% (the top 20% or the bottom 20%) you are spending your time with.  Too often I hear and/or observe a team leader spending a disproportionate amount of time with their weakest performers as opposed to those that simply matter most.  Sometimes team leaders “want it” more for their poor performers that these agents want it for themselves. We can’t have this! This is not to say that you shouldn’t care about all of your agents…rather, I ask that you care about some of your agents more than others.  And those you care about most are the individuals that have earned this sort of attention and that have a very bright future with your organization.