Trust the team, but verify
Do you trust your team?
I trust. But I check.
In this article I will talk about how I was thrown by one of the members of our team, trying to divert people and customers. And as we with the rest of the team rectified the situation.
Main character
My company develops mobile applications to order, in addition, we have our own mobile product.
Custom development now takes up most of our time. At the end of 2013, there was so much work with clients that we needed a marketer in the team. The main character of this article was found for this role, we will call him Gosha Sinitsyn (fictitious name and surname).
From the first days, Gosh joins the team, works with dedication. He is sociable, energetic, knows how to make an impression. But after a couple of months, he happily scores on part of the instructions, or does not finish it to the end, does what he sees fit, and does not work on the company's goal. Hence the first conflicts.
In the first months, Gosh jokingly says that he is so well done that if he wants to, he will calmly lead all the customers, because he is talking to them now. Gosh came in September 2013. For all the work has not led a single client.
Gosha’s responsibilities included customer support: fulfillment of a sales plan through negotiation of contracts, evaluations, formalities, and negotiations with customers. When conflicts with customers arose, we solved them together, often three of us with our technical director.
The performance of Gosha was low, I had to constantly monitor the details: I did not call at the promised time, did not write a letter, did not arrive on time. So that he arrived on time, he even had to introduce a rule - being late for a scheduled meeting for 1 minute = a fine of 20 rubles. He remained owed 400 rubles.
Such people can be kept in the team as a team glue - he found a common language with the team, everyone was happy to talk with him. But at the same time, he was afraid to insist on his own when it comes to efficiency and you need to strain in order to earn. He avoided negative conversations, this had to be done either by me or the technical director.
In a few months it was clear that without him it would be easier than with him.
The game is behind
The plan was not fulfilled, only I brought new clients, the requirements for Sinitsyn grew along with the heat of the situation. Staying working in the evenings has become something incredible for him. Orders were also partially executed.
Once for all the time Gosha fulfilled the sales plan. We were glad together and decided that we had adjusted the work and now it will be like this. But the next month the wilderness began - there was no payment of bills for our work at all.
It turned out that Gosha was playing a double game: he told me that the customer did not pay the bills, because ... "1000 reasons", they asked to wait another week; and in fact, Gosh delayed payments to divert them to his LLC. And at the same time, he and the team persuaded to leave the company and work in LLC Gosha and partners.
Separatism on the sly
As a team glue, Gosh pushed everyone apart, sang about big and tasty projects, high salaries and how everyone would be friendly, everyone would do what they liked - from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.
Since Gosh was aware of the company's economy, saw the budget, knew about the plans, then to reinforce his words, he leaked this information to both the team and competitors. Why competitors? To sell them, in case your orders are not enough.
On August 6, once again, I asked Gosha about the results, which were not. Talked again "on the knives." On emotions, he said that in this case we would have to stop cooperating. It has long been time.
')
Change for the better
To replace Gaucher, a person with a rich sales experience, systemically thinking was ready. We began to transfer cases, and flaws were discovered, shoals and losses, without which, and we could earn money commensurate with the monthly budget. There was a mess in the documents - more than half of the acts were not signed, there were no original contracts, customers were given promises to make additional features at the company's expense, the reasons for projects were not clarified and, accordingly, were not eliminated, work with new customers was postponed for inaudible reasons.
We talked with all customers about the change of commercial director, said goodbye to Gosha on the same day. And they thought that this was the end of the problem. But behind this stretched a whole train. Our main customer began to doubt whether we can continue to work on their projects. Doubt is reasonable, because Sinitsyn said that the whole team leaves with him and did so convincingly.
Squad noticed the loss of fighters
And a few days after Sinitsyn left me, 3 people laid a letter of dismissal on my desk: 2 leading developers and a tester. And there are tasks, they need to be performed. I had 2 weeks in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation in order to decide how to continue working on the tasks, find people or redistribute tasks in such a way as to be on time and efficiently. And at the same time, the customer inappropriately began to prepare for the exhibition, for which it was necessary to develop an important functionality. The whole team is thinking about what will happen next, whether there will be orders, to stay or not to stay, and then there's the exhibition.
In this project, we developed an application for Android, iOS and STB on Android, which is controlled by a remote control. It was important to understand whether we would pull all the components of this software with the remaining composition.
Fortunately, the developers who wrote the core of the application and the managers remained in the team. As a result, we found out that having lost three, we are slower, but we can work further. We continue to work with this customer.
Attempt to negotiate again
There was an interesting moment. After what we found out about Sinitsyn’s double game with the whole team, after all the problems he created with his mean actions, he called me and offered to agree to work together and share everything 50/50 on the pretext that otherwise we both lose customer
They say that impudence is the second happiness. That's for sure. But this time did not help: Gosh went to the forest.
I threw all, and even their
In practice, it turned out that reality does not intersect with beautiful Goshin stories. He did not steal a single customer from us. The competitors with whom he threw off our insider did not take him. There are no projects, there is nothing for the team to pay - no one went with it. He tried to offer them a start-up, but for all families, they need a steady income, and not just faith in a bright future.
Now imagine the situation: you are a customer, an employee of your contractor calls you and says that he will soon lead everyone away, and now you need to work with him. How would you react? In my case, the customers first talked with me and realized that there was nothing to worry about, that I continue to work with my team, and we will fulfill our obligations. And they immediately called me, because they initially agreed with me.
The team has become stronger
All these events could not affect the team spirit. Those people who remained in the company felt the value of the team more acutely. Together we have experienced this story and become stronger.
FINDINGS
I trust. But I check.
In this article I will talk about how I was thrown by one of the members of our team, trying to divert people and customers. And as we with the rest of the team rectified the situation.
Main character
My company develops mobile applications to order, in addition, we have our own mobile product.
Custom development now takes up most of our time. At the end of 2013, there was so much work with clients that we needed a marketer in the team. The main character of this article was found for this role, we will call him Gosha Sinitsyn (fictitious name and surname).
From the first days, Gosh joins the team, works with dedication. He is sociable, energetic, knows how to make an impression. But after a couple of months, he happily scores on part of the instructions, or does not finish it to the end, does what he sees fit, and does not work on the company's goal. Hence the first conflicts.
In the first months, Gosh jokingly says that he is so well done that if he wants to, he will calmly lead all the customers, because he is talking to them now. Gosh came in September 2013. For all the work has not led a single client.
Gosha’s responsibilities included customer support: fulfillment of a sales plan through negotiation of contracts, evaluations, formalities, and negotiations with customers. When conflicts with customers arose, we solved them together, often three of us with our technical director.
The performance of Gosha was low, I had to constantly monitor the details: I did not call at the promised time, did not write a letter, did not arrive on time. So that he arrived on time, he even had to introduce a rule - being late for a scheduled meeting for 1 minute = a fine of 20 rubles. He remained owed 400 rubles.
Such people can be kept in the team as a team glue - he found a common language with the team, everyone was happy to talk with him. But at the same time, he was afraid to insist on his own when it comes to efficiency and you need to strain in order to earn. He avoided negative conversations, this had to be done either by me or the technical director.
In a few months it was clear that without him it would be easier than with him.
The game is behind
The plan was not fulfilled, only I brought new clients, the requirements for Sinitsyn grew along with the heat of the situation. Staying working in the evenings has become something incredible for him. Orders were also partially executed.
Once for all the time Gosha fulfilled the sales plan. We were glad together and decided that we had adjusted the work and now it will be like this. But the next month the wilderness began - there was no payment of bills for our work at all.
It turned out that Gosha was playing a double game: he told me that the customer did not pay the bills, because ... "1000 reasons", they asked to wait another week; and in fact, Gosh delayed payments to divert them to his LLC. And at the same time, he and the team persuaded to leave the company and work in LLC Gosha and partners.
Separatism on the sly
As a team glue, Gosh pushed everyone apart, sang about big and tasty projects, high salaries and how everyone would be friendly, everyone would do what they liked - from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.
Since Gosh was aware of the company's economy, saw the budget, knew about the plans, then to reinforce his words, he leaked this information to both the team and competitors. Why competitors? To sell them, in case your orders are not enough.
On August 6, once again, I asked Gosha about the results, which were not. Talked again "on the knives." On emotions, he said that in this case we would have to stop cooperating. It has long been time.
')
Change for the better
To replace Gaucher, a person with a rich sales experience, systemically thinking was ready. We began to transfer cases, and flaws were discovered, shoals and losses, without which, and we could earn money commensurate with the monthly budget. There was a mess in the documents - more than half of the acts were not signed, there were no original contracts, customers were given promises to make additional features at the company's expense, the reasons for projects were not clarified and, accordingly, were not eliminated, work with new customers was postponed for inaudible reasons.
We talked with all customers about the change of commercial director, said goodbye to Gosha on the same day. And they thought that this was the end of the problem. But behind this stretched a whole train. Our main customer began to doubt whether we can continue to work on their projects. Doubt is reasonable, because Sinitsyn said that the whole team leaves with him and did so convincingly.
Squad noticed the loss of fighters
And a few days after Sinitsyn left me, 3 people laid a letter of dismissal on my desk: 2 leading developers and a tester. And there are tasks, they need to be performed. I had 2 weeks in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation in order to decide how to continue working on the tasks, find people or redistribute tasks in such a way as to be on time and efficiently. And at the same time, the customer inappropriately began to prepare for the exhibition, for which it was necessary to develop an important functionality. The whole team is thinking about what will happen next, whether there will be orders, to stay or not to stay, and then there's the exhibition.
In this project, we developed an application for Android, iOS and STB on Android, which is controlled by a remote control. It was important to understand whether we would pull all the components of this software with the remaining composition.
Fortunately, the developers who wrote the core of the application and the managers remained in the team. As a result, we found out that having lost three, we are slower, but we can work further. We continue to work with this customer.
Attempt to negotiate again
There was an interesting moment. After what we found out about Sinitsyn’s double game with the whole team, after all the problems he created with his mean actions, he called me and offered to agree to work together and share everything 50/50 on the pretext that otherwise we both lose customer
They say that impudence is the second happiness. That's for sure. But this time did not help: Gosh went to the forest.
I threw all, and even their
In practice, it turned out that reality does not intersect with beautiful Goshin stories. He did not steal a single customer from us. The competitors with whom he threw off our insider did not take him. There are no projects, there is nothing for the team to pay - no one went with it. He tried to offer them a start-up, but for all families, they need a steady income, and not just faith in a bright future.
Now imagine the situation: you are a customer, an employee of your contractor calls you and says that he will soon lead everyone away, and now you need to work with him. How would you react? In my case, the customers first talked with me and realized that there was nothing to worry about, that I continue to work with my team, and we will fulfill our obligations. And they immediately called me, because they initially agreed with me.
The team has become stronger
All these events could not affect the team spirit. Those people who remained in the company felt the value of the team more acutely. Together we have experienced this story and become stronger.
FINDINGS
- Be careful when you disclose financial flows. Only trusted and trusted persons can be involved in this.
- When delegating tasks, check the progress of work at fixed points - for marketing, this is the timely signing of primary documents and the monitoring of external deadlines for projects.
- When someone in the team begins to strain, do not wait until the tension escalates into a story like this, and immediately part with joy in such a person. To determine whether he will strain, tell him about the company's goals and values, look at the reaction.
- Even if there is a danger of losing everything that was built, do not be afraid, be positive, like a monk who sold his Ferrari in the book of R.Sharm.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/238913/
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