“I believe that if you can get 60% from your Ghanaian employees, it is good enough.”
This somewhat controversial statement was made in a conversation with a retired diplomat back in 2019. The statement was greeted with laughter but, long after he left, his words hung in the air like a rain cloud ready to burst. She started thinking about why organizational leaders should be willing or prepared to accept 60% performance from staff. Admittedly, universities worldwide accept 60% as a pass, with some according a Merit. However, should acceptable performance levels in the education system also be acceptable in the employment world? To find out, she decided to engage leaders of several Ghanaian firms across a variety of industries (financial services, health care, management consulting, agriculture, construction and oil marketing companies). She wanted to hear, first-hand, their views and expectations of their staff.
What leaders say about 60%
Disagreement was unanimous. Not one leader found the idea of an employee giving 60% palatable. Rather, the leaders argued that anything lower than 80% was unacceptable, with some suggesting that if we are paying 100%, why shouldn’t we expect 100% in return. A few of the direct quotes are captured below:
“She disagrees. She would go for 90 per cent, because…if there’s 100 per cent she doesn’t see why you can’t exceed it, but we always give room for 10 per cent. So 60 per cent is woefully mediocre. It’s just too low for her to pay 100 per cent and expect 60 per cent”(BA, personal communication, September 20, 2021).
“She doesn’t know why he would settle for 60 per cent. But you see…that is the reason why we are where we are. Mediocrity. We set the bar so low that when we do achieve it, we celebrate [when] in actual fact we have not even started” (MB, personal communication, September 24, 2021).
“She disagrees, she disagrees, she disagrees. Once you’re taking your salary and we haven’t defaulted in giving you a salary or your other conditions of service…we don’t understand why you should default on the other side” (MNA, personal communication, September 20, 2021).
The disagreement voiced was not surprising. Most organizations are in business to make money, and risk becoming obsolete and uncompetitive if they cannot attain and sustain organizational excellence. Organizational excellence is defined as an organization’s ability to “exceed expected performance either from the organization itself, its competitors or its customers.”1 Furthermore, the key to any organization’s success and survival is its people, with studies highlighting employee knowledge and capabilities as crucial differentiators among firms.
2. Therefore, organizations seeking to outperform require people who are “committed to their roles and responsibilities, capable of performing tasks and challenges, and who are being empowered to independently solve problems and make decisions promptly” – otherwise known as employee excellence.2
Actions speak louder than words
Unfortunately, while most leaders abhor the notion of 60% output from employees, many are not doing what it takes to improve employee productivity, though employee productivity helps drive organizational performance. Low employee productivity is a major issue for many developing countries and in Ghana, leaders describe the work attitude of the average employee as very poor. They cite work ethic as a major issue, characterized by laziness, no sense of urgency, lack of attention to detail, dishonesty (trying to take shortcuts), an entitlement mentality, punctuality issues, no ownership of the role and misplaced priorities (i.e., many staff have side businesses). For many, these behaviours give meaning to the 60% we are getting from many employees.
However, are we getting 60% because most employees are simply incapable of doing more, or do we as leaders have a role to play in this output? Many leaders believe the behaviours (which are part of a much longer list) are endemic and the employee’s fault. Ghana’s “dwindling economic fortunes” have been blamed on the poor work attitude/ethic and productivity levels of workers particularly when contrasted with the work attitude of expatriates or Ghanaians from the diaspora. A member of parliament blamed the inability to effectively implement policy in Ghana on the Ghanaian work ethic. Journalist Akomolafe argued that “while the Chinese and other foreign workers were willing to work long hours – putting in twelve to eighteen hours, Ghanaian workers stopped work at 4 p.m., claiming it violated union rules to work an extra hour without double pay.”
One leader vented his frustrations online when he said, “In general (but there are exceptions) the Ghanaian worker doesn’t care about the quality of his job and doesn’t have any feeling for his profession nor his customer/client. Sometimes they show a total apathy to work and just aim to drag themselves to the end of the week, simply because they need an income making it almost impossible to employ an honest, hardworking, motivated person in Ghana.”
This same leader further responded to an article implying Chinese were unfairly competing with Ghanaian workers and questioned the basis of those assumptions. He countered, “Is it because a Chinese employee will work 6 days a week with his wife and children, go one week a year on a holiday (if he goes, mostly he doesn’t), work…hard to deliver, even without supervision…so if a Ghanaian also does the same that would make it fair competition, isn’t it? Or do we expect the Chinese to come late (or not at all) when it rains, show up late (or not at all) after a public holiday, arrive standard late at work, work officially 5 days…but don’t really work, ask days off for the many funerals to attend, would that make Chinese competition fair?”
There is a plethora of articles citing the low quality of the workforce in Ghana. However, the work environment in which many of these behaviours exist is moulded by those in leadership. One of the biggest gaps cited by leaders and employees alike is the lack of accountability that prevails in most organizations. The leaders who were interviewed also felt fellow leaders were not doing enough to fix employee performance issues despite their complaints. A few of their comments follow:
“In Ghana and Africa, generally we don’t hold people accountable. We have a society that does not hold people accountable, and we carry that into the corporate world” (AE, personal communication, August 4, 2021).
“In the work environment, we are not developing policies and procedures that will force a certain behaviour” (KAM, personal communication, June 28, 2021).
“Somehow we are connected to each other…this is my cousin, this is my friend’s friend…that familiarity comes in and you are not able to ask the person to do what he or she is supposed to do, and then it trickles down” (MNA, personal communication, September 20, 2021).
Clearly, we have an employee performance issue in many Ghanaian firms. And while it may be easy to put it squarely at the feet of employees, as leaders we must also take a long, hard look at ourselves in the mirror and honestly assess our role in the 60% dilemma. After careful contemplation, I believe leaders have a role to play in getting the most out of employees. She has arrived at five things leaders could do and will outline them below.
What leaders can do (doing your part)
While the full solution does not rest only on the shoulders of leaders, there are five steps leaders can take to help improve employees’ attitudes to work. These were corroborated by the leaders as they shared their views on how CEOs can help.
(1) Address how staff are treated. Rewards and remuneration generally take the top spot in this category, followed by training and mentorship. This is supported by research that suggests many employees do not believe their organization values the work they do or is committed to their training and career needs. According to one leader, “If you do not build the capacity of the team, it means [we] will end up bringing on board people who don’t meet our requirements.”
Other areas that need addressing include having an effective performance management system through which employees can get proper developmental feedback, access to well-developed policies and procedures and sufficient resources. Leaders must know the strengths and weaknesses of their employees, involve them in decision making and ensure the work environment is one in which they feel respected and valued.
Action item: Assess how staff are feeling by conducting a survey on how they feel about role fit, role clarity, organizational/leadership support and being valued.
(2) Increase accountability. Accountability starts with leaders clearly defining expectations, so employees know what is acceptable and what is not. Most companies have basic policies and procedures; however, what is severely lacking is leaders who are firm and willing to enforce procedures consistently and without prejudice, irrespective of who the employee may be or the connections he/she may have. According to one leader, “Sometimes the difficulty in firing is that why are you firing this person when this other person’s issues are worse than this one and you have not been firm enough to fire that one.”
Note, however, that accountability is a two-way street – to the same extent you are willing to hold staff accountable, also give them the opportunity to hold the leadership accountable. It sends the message you are open to feedback in the same way you expect it to be and also gives you a firm foundation from which to act.
Action item: To check your organization’s accountability level, consider giving staff the opportunity to rate the firm’s leadership team (the CEO included).
(3) Lead by example. Leading by example is key to increasing accountability and setting the tone for your organization. It is only when you, as a leader, do what is expected that you can enforce performance requirements. Too many leaders apply the leadership style of “do as she says, not as she does.” However, as one CEO aptly put it, “You would be dreaming to say that followers would be excellent and leaders can be rotten.” This statement is well-supported by the proverb that the fish rots from the head. Thus, you must lead by example. For example, if you expect staff to be punctual and deliver on time, do the same – don’t arrive at meetings late, or shift dates on which salaries must be paid at the last minute.
Action item: Be clear about the standards and attitudes that define your company and be a role model.
(4) Ensure role fit. Part of getting the best from any employee is ensuring they are well-suited for their role. Benefits include reduced employee turnover, and increased productivity and engagement. According to Harver.com, “Employees who feel they are right where they belong (professionally speaking) are super productive.” However, measuring ‘fit’ is often difficult. Thus, recommended tools include pre-employment assessment tools, preferably ones that help you compare the candidate’s organizational culture preference with your organization’s actual culture. Other options include arranging informal meetings (how someone behaves in an “unofficial” setting can be quite revealing) and also getting as many people as possible involved in the interview process. Some people interview very well but display questionable characteristics when they are away from the ‘limelight.’
Action item: While not the only solution, start with your reference-check process: (1) avoid close-ended questions and check to ensure questions give you more information about performance, accomplishments and difficulties and (2) consider completing reference checks before the person starts working rather than during the probationary period.
(5) Be more self-aware. Self-awareness is one quality that is evident in every great entrepreneur, manager and leader. This is key because the higher you go the fewer people you have holding you accountable. Even if the organization is not assessing you, it is important as a leader to have self-assessment systems in place to see how you are doing. In the words of one leader, “We have to find ways of constantly assessing ourselves as leaders. When we are able to do that then we’ll see our shortfalls and our strengths, and then help our subordinates to also do what they have to do.”
Action item: Take a personality test (e.g., Myers-Briggs, Predictive Index, Entrepreneurial Aptitude Test) to better understand your dominant traits, learn from your own actions (e.g., Warren Buffett shared his habit of documenting reasons behind major investment decisions and then later going back to see what went right or wrong). Also, surround yourself with people who complement your strengths and weaknesses.
She thinks it is fair to say that very few leaders agree that 60% is good enough for employees. However, there seems to be widespread agreement that leaders play a role in the 60% dilemma. So, she will close by simply drawing on the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi. He said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Today, she says to you, leaders, “Be the change you wish to see in your organization.” If you want 100% from your employees, be sure to give the same. If you do, she has no doubt you will help move the pendulum of employee performance from average to excellent.