Exposing the Root Causes of Underperformance

Hello and welcome to the show today, expect to hear some noise in the background. What we're going to tackle today is how to know if your poor performance at work is your fault or if it's your orga's fault, if it's the company's fault. Now, the reason why I'm tackling this today is because I spent some time in a conversation with the salesperson yesterday and he said a couple of things that made me quite worried, but actually stuff that I hear about in Nigeria, you know, you know,

we Nigerians can be I mean the Nigerian work environment. So it's not unusual to hear these sorts of things. But it made me worried because the fellow in our conversation said things like they make me feel like I'm useless. That's talking about his auger, you know, the managers them he would say things like I don't even know what I'm doing self. He would also say things like, look, I just want to be successful. And he also said that's when he was talking to the managers them when they were going over his here's a PowerPoint presentation that he was supposed to deliver with a client.

This is what he said. He said they said I was, I wasn't prepared and I was unfocused. So for those of you who have been working in the Niger work environment, these sorts of things are typical. So nothing out of the ordinary. Now I know that for those of you who are listening from the UK are listening from America because you American people, I think are like 30 something percent now UK people, you're very small shop not up to 1%.

So for you, you can American folks, I know that this sounds like sacrilege and sounds like verbal abuse. My guess is that those of you calling in, sorry, listening from Ghana or maybe China maybe for you guys, you know, that's just the way it is as well. So it's just Niger. It's just the way it is. In the future, I hope to explore some assertive ways that we can deal with these sorts of situations. You know, when we're interacting with our line manager, our manager, the CEO, the whoever is responsible for tracking your performance, you know, some assertive ways of standing up yourself and then dealing with whatever legitimate criticisms that these people have for your performance.

But today, that's what we're going to be tackling basically. So if you're in this sort of situation and you're worried about your performance, how do you know if it's your fault? How do you know if it's the office's fault? Now if you'd love to connect with me and explore opportunities, just connect me and explore opportunities, then call me. The number is 08064662140. Also, you can connect with me on socials. I spend most of my time on LinkedIn, the name to look for establishing my IED.

So like I said, we're trying to figure out whose fault the performance is bad, It's poor. Whose fault? OK, yes. So this fellow started off by assuming that this thing was his problem, but then I asked him a couple of questions. Like I always say, most of you should do when you're in front of a potential customer, potential client, because you can before you can solve your clients problems, your customers problems, you actually need to have ask some questions and figure out exactly what is is going on.

So when I asked the guys some questions, we're able to figure out a couple of things and I hope I was able to highlight a couple of things for the young chap. And this is what we arrived at. So I wanted to know how much training that he had received on the job and he said he has received none. The training he has received is 0. Even though his immediate hogger is an experienced salesperson, a lady actually. And you know, they say she's legit, like she's the real deal.

So she knows her stuff. You know, everybody says she's a pro. But OK, you have a stellar performance performer like this on your team, but you don't have this sort of person train the younger people, train the people who are on the come up. So how much training had the guy received? Zero. I tried to figure out what his job description was and it turns out that the guy was actually had for marketing. But then they did some restructuring and it's OK.

You know what? You you will now start selling. And of course, some people don't appreciate this, but actually is a difference between marketing and sales. The kind of skills that you need to be successful at sales don't necessarily mean you're going to be successful at marketing and vice versa. Because we're a good marketing communications professional doesn't mean you're going to be able to be a very good sales person.

Because for sales, we're usually talking to customers one-on-one. We own the relationship. We're on the phone, we're going to people's offices, we're sitting in people's cars, people are coming over to our office. It's a different thing that people who are in the marketing department who sit down, brainstorm, come up with some text, come up with some graphics, come up with some strategy, run some ads, you know, it's a totally different thing.

So really is not fair to hire somebody for marketing. That's what we hired you for. And then all of a sudden you say, OK, you know what, because of this and this and that and that, or I'll come and do sales and you expect that that person is going to succeed. So training 0. Job description here was had for marketing. Now they want him to come and be selling company resources. What have they given him to do the job 0. Phone Zero is his own phone.

CRM 0. If he doesn't even know what CRM is, Computer Encore 0. So you take someone, you hire them for one job, you now switch them to another job. You don't give them training, you don't give them resources. Can we really say in this circumstances that really is the young man's fault, that he's not performing? These are the real problems. It was hard for a role. The job description changed. He received no training in who the ideal customer is.

He received no training on what the selling framework is. He received no training on what to expect when you are selling and hitting the road. He received no training in how to manage prospects or client relations or how to set expectation. He received none of that training. In fact, they told him that selling is easy, but he can learn how to sell through ChatGPT. Is selling easy? Yeah, in the sense selling is very, very easy.

After all this would talk, Abby. But The thing is, selling is easy. Or it gets easier if you have the knowledge and if you have the framework, if you have the skill set, then it's easy. It's the same thing now. If I go and meet LeBron James or Michael Jordan, they will say how basketball is easy now. It's not hard. Of course it's not hard for them because they have been practicing since primary one and they've been playing for 20-30

years, 40 years. So of course for them it will be easy for me that the last time I touched the basketball was 20 years ago. Would you say that basketball is easy? So it's the same thing. So because selling involves talking phone call, everybody thinks it's easy. It can be done so well in the sense it, it can be easy if you have the knowledge, if you have the framework, if you have the skill set, then it can be easy. Then this whole thing of selling with ChatGPT, because now ChatGPT is in the world and Google Gemini and everything.

Some employers just assume that the work is done. And unfortunately that's not the case because there's ChatGPT now, it doesn't mean your employees. Everybody will just become superstar salesperson overnight because yes, you can sell with ChatGPT, but only if you have sales expertise. Because like Americans say, the Americans say a fool with a tool is still a fool. Let me repeat, a fool with a tool is still a fool. If your employee was a dance before ChatGPT was invented.

Now that ChatGPT hasn't been invented, your employee is still going to be a dance. ChatGPT is not going to flip the script overnight. If your employee, your sales people were not properly trained and educated before ChatGPT was unleashed into the world, it's not going to make much of a difference now. Because if people don't have the knowledge or the expertise, they are not going to know which advice. They're not going to know how to prompt char GBT to give them advice.

And they're not even going to know which of the advice that char GBT gives them. Which advice is going to be workable, which advice is going to be realistic, which advice is going to be suitable or unsuitable to the particular context. So if any of you have employees listening now and you think, OK, char GPT is out there, so therefore people just know how to sell. It's not like that. It doesn't work that way. In fact, this is an example that I gave to someone.

We're talking medicine and we're talking about GPT and how it applies to medicine. We're talking radiology. And then from there we started talking, talking in surgery. And this is the example that I gave for me, I'm a layman. I know nothing about surgery, so of course I can take char GBT and say give me instructions for how to perform a subdural hematoma, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Let's say how to operate on somebody's brain.

Char GBT will give all the instructions that this is how you operate on somebody's brain. First of all, use a cranial whatever. Cut open the skull. Next identify this nerve. Next clamp this thing. Next, clamp that thing. Next, make an decision here 3 inches above. So you know, whatever it is, you will give all the instructions. But The thing is I have no training. So if I take charge EPT and I say let me go and perform surgery on somebody's somebody's heart or somebody's brain, I

will kill somebody, somebody will die. But for the Doctor Who has received the training, who has done residency, who has done specialty, who has worked on cadaver and everything, If the guy goes to char GBT and says how do you perform subdural hematoma? Something something something something. And he gives some ideas because the guy has the know how, he will now know that oh char GBT has given me 12 steps from 1274 Steps 7:00 to 12:00 is rubbish.

Disregard then from steps one to six, no one makes sense. We can apply. So that's how it works. Because char GBT is here does not mean that your people that you didn't train to be salespeople should become salespeople, correct salespeople overnight or that people who you didn't train on marketing should not become good marketers overnight. So employers, please listen to this. Also employees listening if you didn't know what was up when it comes to sales and marketing before, don't assume that because ChatGPT is here, that is going to solve all your problems.

It's not. You still need to get a certain level of subject matter expertise to be able to use these tools wisely. And that's the reason why on this show I keep talking time and time again and giving you guys realistic examples about when you can use ChatGPT or Google Gemini and how. So please, let's stop assuming that ChatGPT is here. And so we have reached the promised land. We still have not reached the promised land yet.

So if you're an employee in this situation, are you the problem? Yes, you are the problem. If let me answer it the other way around. For an employee in this situation, are you the problem? You are only the problem if your job description is accurate, they told you they're hiring you for marketing and then you are doing marketing, but it turns out that you're not hitting your goals, then yes, the problem is you. You are also the problem.

If they have trained you, and despite the training you have not been doing your job, then you are the problem. You're also the problem if they have given you enough ramp time. The idea behind ramp time is this, that nobody just starts performing immediately. You need to give somebody time to do their job. You know, like medical students, for instance. Now, you know, in university, you give them some time. Is it like two or three years where they go and cut dead bodies, They cut cadavers and practice everything.

You don't just carry a fresh medical student and say, Oh yeah, go and cut open somebody's heart or cut open somebody's head. They have ram time. You practice on dummies after you practice on dummies, you practice on cadaver and you know, blah, blah, blah. And then you stay with your senior surgeon, your senior doctor and what, watch the person work before then I'll give you the scissors. I say scissors. What's it called?

Give you that thing, Shah, that you used to cut up on somebody's chest and then start doing operation. So it's the same thing in business. People have to be given round time as well. How long? It depends. Back in the old days for those people who worked for IBM and I think Xerox like Tony, I think Tony Olumelu is the one who worked at Xerox. So back in those days they used to give them nine months ramp time as in we hired you today to start work January, but we're going to put you through sales training and then you're going to follow a senior person.

You follow them on site, you follow them, you shadow them, you see as they're selling. But then we expect that by September you will hit quarter. It's not that they hired them in January and then they say in February, guy, why are you not hitting quota? But of course, you know, nowadays people are not. This whole thing of ramp time is not really in fashion anymore. But still when it comes to sales, let's be realistic, you need to give people some ramp time.

You don't just have somebody 1st, January 1st and then January 31st. You're not asking why are you not hitting quota. It's for most people, it's unrealistic. So these are the conditions, you are the problem. If your job description is on point, if your guy has trained you, if you've been given ram time and you're still not achieving, then the problem is you. But in most cases, actually it is the Nigerian employer's problem because he has not trained you, he or she has not trained you, They've not given you resources, they've not given you ram time, they've not given you a mentorship as in they have given you zero.

They just hired you and they said I'll go and do this job. So let me just wrap up this way. If you work in a company and your employer provides training and resources, then sit up because now you have no excuses. But for those of you who have gotten jobs, no training, no resources, and there's a problem, that doesn't mean that you can't go and look for help on your own because like this guy was looking for podcasts and looking for professionals that can train him up.

That's how he's trying to solve the problem. If you're going to sit down there and raise your hand and say woe, it's me, this is unfair, you know, blah, blah, blah, then there's a problem. Excuse me. Now, part of the advantage of dealing with a professional or a consultant on these sorts of things is apart from trying to beef up your performance, we can also give you the right perspective, like in this young man's case, how he is not the problem and then also give him tips about how to handle the solution going forward with his employees.

So, like, what I told him to do was to bite the bullet. So you go back, you say, OK, Madam. Yeah. You said I wasn't prepared and I wasn't. I wasn't focused. Yeah, granted, I accept. And during the meeting that we had, you said that my proposal was deficient because of 123 and 456. In my opinion, Olga, respectfully, I think these are the areas where I need to be trained up in. So when will you and Madam, my manager be available to walk me through 123 and 456 so that I

can be more effective with future clients and then keep aware and hear what it is that they have to say. Now this is not a confrontational way. It is not an abusive way. How will I put it is an assertive way of dealing with the situation. You shouldn't just be there and then shop abuse. You know, if there are legitimate criticisms, yeah sure, own it. If the errors for improvement, you can throw the ball back to your employer to say alright, no problem.

I accept these are the shortcomings. So now what are you guys going to do as my leaders, my employers, to make sure that I'm much more effective at my job? These are the areas where I'm lacking. When will you guys or how will you guys be available to train me up on this and this and this and then and that so that I can be much more effective? Also, would it be OK for me in the future if I run into these kinds of problems and these kind of problems to hit you up so that you and me can discuss this thing?

Just to make sure that we avoided this scenario and that scenario that you're angry about. And then you keep quiet and listen, the ball is now in their court. So you've been assertive about the whole thing and you've kind of passed across the message that there's some stuff that needs to be done. Anyway. I'll make a separate podcast episode on all these other issues later. But bottom line is what I'm just trying to say is that if you're listening to this podcast and the reason why you found this podcast is because you've been thinking to yourself like, oh more, these people are making me feel as if I'm useless.

I don't even know what I'm doing self. I just want to be successful. How high can this thing be? They say I'm more focused, they say I'm more prepared. They say I'm this desire of that. If you're currently feeling like that, just know that a lot of times in the Nigerian context, it's not your fault. But there are resources like this that you can take advantage of, free resources, by the way, because I think now on this podcast, we're almost at, I

think we're now at 990 episodes. So free resources, plenty all over the Internet that you can take advantage of. Listen to these things, listen to them with a pen and a paper. Be making notes about things that you can do tomorrow, next tomorrow to make sure that you're much more effective at your job role. So whether they train you, whether they don't train you, just look for these things, take advantage of them and see how you can make your life better.

Because after all, really, really speaking, any developments that you get on the job that you're responsible for, you're going to carry those skills with you and it's going to make you much more profitable and valuable in your future job endeavours and also in whatever business it is that you decide to start. So take control. Don't just stay there and chop abuse or feel like a victim again. If you'd love to connect with me and explore opportunities, the number again is 08064662140.

The country code is +234. For those of you who are not Nigerian and then to connect with me on socials, you can find me on LinkedIn, the name to look for establishing my IED. Thanks for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys in the next episode.