Are you deadweight? Here are your options

You do not particularly like it but you're hanging in there. The bills have got to be paid, somehow. You hope it doesn’t but it is reflected in your every move. You only work as much as they’re paying you and fold up by 4:30pm day in, day out and wait to dishonestly take home a salary you haven’t earned come end-month. You've grown beyond the job or the job has grown beyond your capabilities. Either way, you're stuck, stagnant and miserable.

Stagnation is frustrating because we are built for continued progress. By sitting around sulkily doing your bare minimum, you're effectively firing yourself and creating a vacuum in your position for a more energetic and engaged professional.

There's probably nothing wrong with your job but you're definitely the wrong person for it at this time. No one will have any qualms letting you go. If that’s not the outcome you’re hoping for, there are three ways in which you assure yourself continued growth in any position that you hold.

First, establish that there is a need for what you do — a vacuum that your skill-set and professional drive fill. Secondly, ensure that you are willing, ready and able to consistently provide the service. Lastly, no one ever really is but get as close as possibly to being irreplaceable. You want to work in such a way that your excellence is unrivalled. There must be great difficulty in replacing you because your stands are very high.

It is not easy or fun but intelligent leaders have an inner knowing of exactly how to lead effectively. Authentic leaders know that there are those that are unwilling to do more than what is expected. This lot will rarely be challenged enough to remain engaged. If we are not for whatever reason willing to do more than we are paid for, we will never be paid for more than we are doing. We all want to be paid more. The question is; do we actually do more or do we only do more when the appraisal period is around the corner?

Firing people is as important as hiring them. This is true both for the organisation and the employees. Intelligent leaders will simply not keep deadweight. Not for long, anyway because it is tantamount to defrauding their organisation by paying people for poor delivery. Not decisively dealing with weak links in the team sets a precedent for poor performance.

Popularity is rarely a true leader’s priority. A leader is the person with thick enough skin to take difficult decisions. You see; a true leader is very clear about what may not be obvious to others. If the end result of an action or inaction will not positively contribute to the oragisation's objectives, his/her vision and legacy, it has got to be changed for the better. That's all there is to it.

If you’re bored to the point of non-delivery of the service you promised to give, do the right thing. If you’re unwilling to do more than you’re being paid to do, do the right thing. The right thing is to either change your attitude and meaningfully contribute or honourably resign and create the space in your life for what you’re willing to commit more of yourself to.

If you’re keeping deadweight in your team, do the right thing — develop them or let them go thereby creating space in your organisation for better talent to come in.