Molehills or mountains?
by Miki SaxonI have a mole living in my yard. I don’t mind her, because she’s a very polite mole and only makes small hills along the fence line and occasionally in a flowerbed—never where I might trip—doesn’t enlarge them and eventually they settle back and disappear.
If only metaphorical molehills were as easy.
I’m not talking about the kind where an individual makes a big deal of something that isn’t; I’m referring to the little, displaced mound in the workplace that goes either unnoticed or ignored, allowing it to grow, sometimes exponentially, until it becomes a mini-Everest.
To avoid the unnoticed, managers can act preventively by practicing MAP Action 2 (management by walking around), thus improving their annual reviews, income and prospects.
Managers who choose not to act preventively will eventually have notice forced on them, but by that time they’re usually facing at least a small hill. Continuing to ignore the hill will encourage it to grow exponentially giving them a giant headache, as well as less-than-scintillating annual reviews, income and prospects.
As always, it’s your choice.