I've been observing this group for 40 years, and wanted to share what I've found. I'd be interested in how others observations, from different backgrounds, match up to mine. The Ten Percent One of the first things a Marine recruit learns in Boot Camp is that you don't want to be one of "The Ten Percent." I first heard of this group early, somewhere between standing on the yellow footprints and my first Marine Corps haircut. The group in this initial minority were misfits, "fat-bodies and non-hackers." Some guys couldn't walk and swing their arms at the same time. I managed to avoid this group through most of my youth, but as I grew into more leadership responsibility, I began to see more than just that Ten Percent. (10%) I had to deal with other interesting groups, thankfully never exceeding the magic 10%. Natural leaders who could destroy morale and lead others down ruinous paths, harmful pranksters, thugs, and masters of the con. Some of our actual "leaders" who were so clueless and had been promoted so far beyond their level of incompetence that they were poster-boys for the Peter Principle. Followers - absolutely lost souls - without someone to take charge of them they'd wander around aimlessly day and night... day after day. There was some hope. There was always the 10% that went unnoticed, the guys who were holding it all together, picking up the slack for the guy who got a Dear John letter, the three guys who had a hangover, and the barely literate "leader" of the group. There were others groups filling out the unit, from barely passable to almost perfect. The real fun was to try to relate to each group and get them to work as a cohesive team to accomplish the mission. Leading Marines was the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done. Throughout nearly as long in the civilian automotive maintenance field as I spent in the Marine Corps I've continued to observe the 10% phenomena. It's relevant to any group of people, and can be quite useful to the leader who's in tune with the dynamics of the groups. They break down something like this: 10% are just lost. They've been thrown into the pool on the deep end and if somebody doesn't throw them a rope they'll sink. They're in too far over their head to ask for help, so don't expect them to. 10% are distracted by relationships, debt, hobbies, or something else. They can be a danger to themselves and others. 10% are sick, hurt, worn out, tired, or just old. We all have good and bad days, and time in this category can be reduced by eating right, getting a flu shot, exercising and getting enough sleep. 10% are just going through the motions. They'll get the job done, but just in time, with no polish, and certainly no "Wow." 10% are actively "skating." Hiding and sliding, malingering. They'll say things like "I'll still get paid." or "Can't see it from my house." Maybe they get to work a little late, take an extra long lunch, vanish unexpectedly at random times, and then leave early. Don't expect them to ever be asked their reason for clocking out late. These are your anchors, dragging everyone down. 10% are capable. They do the right thing, follow instructions, learn quickly and know how to find answers and make decisions on their own. They work hard, and are proud of what they do. 10% are incompetent. This is a different group from the lost. This group knows how to do it, they just find a way to screw it up, over, and over, and over. 10% are cocky know-it-all types. They do things their way because...well, just because. They know how to do it, even if they break things doing it the wrong way. (using a torch when changing u-joints on an aluminum drive shaft comes to mind) They won't listen to anyone who tries to correct them and are regulars in the smoke pit, talking trash about others. They can be leaders of small groups, but too often are the misguided type that you see on the evening news... with a mugshot. 10% are teachers. They've been around, know not only how things are done, but why they're done that way. They freely offer good advice when asked, and volunteer it when they see a need. If pestered by an individual about the same kind of thing over and over and they'll shift toward working on their own job and offer no further lessons to them. 10% are workers. This is a subset of the capable. Their skill sets may be fewer than the capable, but they will pull their weight in the areas they've mastered, and look for the teachers to help them with areas they are unsure of. People will move in and out of these categories with some fluidity and may never be included in some of them. The goal of leadership is to create a balance where "The Ten Percent" that's harming the mission is identified and moved briskly into a more favorable group. There is no perfect 100% in anything when dealing with people. We can only hope to get everybody working toward the same goal, even if we have to let them think it's all their idea. ;-) This isn't a new concept. One of my favorite observers of The Ten Percent died almost 2500 years ago. “Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” ― Heraclitus
I don't quite agree. At least if we are military service people. I broke people down to performers and non performers. The performers I used as independent workers or as supervisors. The non performers I NEVER used as independent workers (they could not be trusted to do the job right or even to make and effort). The were used under supervision for crap jobs or under close supervision for critical jobs if I had no crap jobs. Non performers were given quarterly counseling about their shortcomings and if they did not improve by the end of their 3rd quarter, they were warned their annual evaluation not only would be negative, but advancement and reenlistment would be marked "not recommended". It seldom came to this. In reality These non performers often requested a transfer, which I must say I encouraged because it was easier to get replacements than put up with these fools. I nurtured my performers, challenged them to do even better, used them for important jobs with little or no supervision, pushed them up the advancement ladder, got them as many job related schools possible, and when they came up for earliest transfer date, encouraged them to request extending at present command, however if they wanted to transfer I did everything I could to get them posted where they wanted to go, as well as trying to get them additional schools along with the transfer. . Some folks as you say, were set in their non productive ways ..... and I made it my business to correct it or run them out of the service or off my boat.
From your description it seems that our Congress Critters are composed of a high amount of these 10%ers.
Haha...from my Marine Corps experiences into the automotive repair field, I have seen a similar breakdown of personnel...but always took time and effort to at least make an attempt to mentor ones that had a spark of promise. Sometimes it didn't work out, but the ones that payed attention advanced through the ranks, often to command billets.
To there is a lot of this I agree with from my time in I am a 0311 1833 and a 8541 and some jobs that don't have a mos number to them I have seen it all but I see it a lot in my job now people trying to skate all the time one guy that bust his butt ever day two that bread hate and discontent one that's never happy unless she is unhappy one that's happy one day pissed another about stuff not work related and the inmates take advantage of all of this and play staff on staff and sit back and watch.
I managed to get loads of misfits to get the job done without killing each other, and without anybody going to jail. It wasn't always pretty, and I had to call in favors and win bets with the thugs and con men. In the end, everybody was looking out for each other and we were able to stay out of trouble. Sure, there were some careers Marines that I found hiding in the shadows, and had to see that they were terminated. Only court martial I ever testified in agreed with me that two had to go. I was able to team lots of really talented counselors with my lost souls, and managed to save most. Among all the fitness reports I wrote, there was only one that really stood out. He was my Platoon Sergeant. He was paying attention when I was talking about the Commandant's Reading List and other ways to stand out on a promotion board. He recently retired as a CW04.
Well said Mr. Diggity . As I read those examples of the different 10 %er's , I could see the faces of individuals that would fit in those slots from 35 plus years ago with my short term in the Corps . And as being pretty much self employed for the last 30+ years , and employing any where from 2 to 30+ people at different time's over that stretch of time in the civilian world , I've added quite a few other faces to those examples . But knowing how to motivate the lower stragglers of those 10%er's , without compromising the mission , is the real test of the leader . Basically , it's manipulation . I've always been a hard worker and would give any job I was tasked with , I'd try to give it at least 100% . My time in the Corps taught me to add at least 10% to that 100% . And I've met very few in the civilian world that could keep up with that pace . But I have found that now my age and body has reduced my 110 % output . My mind still has it , but my body doesn't .So now I have to sit back and watch , and figure out how to get 75 % out of a 50%er . And figure out how to keep a 90%er happy enough to stay on the job when he knows he's carrying part of the load for the 50%er .It's a team effort , and sometimes it's hard to get a good team .
An interesting analysis, but I'm not sure what purpose it serves since everyone can be placed into some kind of box comprising "10%". And of course, almost no one considers themselves a lazy slacker. I myself can range from "visionary genius" to "lazy slacker" depending on the situation at hand. One of the "Ten prercenters" that should be added to the list is the "worker bee": Someone who will do a great job but only if they have great leadership. They do not necessarily need constant supervision, they just need a reason to exist. I consider myself in this bucket. Yes, I'm a very hard worker but if I'm not convinced of the value of the project then you've lost me. I'm not an easy sell. A good leader will give me a reason to care. If "worker bees" do crappy work or seem unmotivated, it's not because they are lazy slobs. It's because their leadership sucked. Worker bees are usually not good leaders themselves but they will lead on smaller projects if their skills are especially relevant to the task.
Not to derail the subject , but as a mechanic ,I observed that most other mechanics do not know how to rebuild a carb or a starter ,best they can do as R&R. I was usually picked for dealing with the obscure or antique repairs due to part availability required deeper over hauls . Not having been in the military , how extensive are mechanics trained and can they perform in the field doing delicate work?
My experience in the component rebuild side of Marine Corps Motor Transport is 25 years old now. I departed from the school house, so I can tell you for certain that there were Marines who knew how to fix stuff in the field. More important, they knew how things worked, so they could spot a faulty component without wasting time. I taught alternators, generators and starters, with overhaul to the bare frame, replacing field windings, brushes, seals, bearings, and anything else that might be necessary. I overhauled hundreds of carburetors for Jeeps and M880's, but they are long gone now. I taught overhaul and calibration on seven different diesel fuel systems, as well as supercharger overhaul. We trained and had been equipped to work aboard maintenance vans in the field. I've rebuilt sets of M60 tank fuel injectors in the field, working with everything submerged in calibrating oil to keep dust out of them. For all practical purposes, that level of repair is now shipped to the rear, and in 1991 we had stuff shipped back and forth from Camp Lejeune to the Persian Gulf. From fuel injectors to final drives and turbine engines, if it has tracks, propellers or tires, there's somebody in uniform that's trained to overhaul it.
I can't speak for the more recent Navy, but I can say ships don't carry shipyards. You either fix it or do without. We could do it all, nearly, but refueling the reactor, well nope. Yep, we were trained. I'm not willing to say the power plant operators could troubleshoot the sonar, but we could operate it. And now, back to your regularly scheduled 10% discussions. Our ten percenters were in the top 90% to start with. We had some prizes, smart cookies, come aboard, but they got transferred for other reasons, like theft and medical.
on target ... a good leader can motivate 80-90% of the people with a good 'reason' for why we are doing this... a bad leader kills all productivity An interesting analysis.... just on a numbers scale not too valuable unless you get over 1000 people.
I am a bit more pessimistic. There are way too many morons out there. In the service, many just stayed in long enough and get rank. The military doesn't promote people based on performance or intelligence. Do men still get promoted in the field for their actions? The company I work for right now is run by idiots. I look at the news, our government, the media? Idiots. I think I need my morning coffee!
I saw the last of the sergeants promoted for nothing more than reenlisting in about 1981. It took years to weed them out after that, but requiring them to attend the NCO Academy and submit pictures to promotion boards eliminated most of them. Marines still get meritoriously promoted. I thought the General had just screwed up my rank one day when he called me "Sergeant." Next thing I know the Sergeant Major calls the place to attention and they promote me on the spot. I didn't get promoted again for EIGHTY months, but within the next three years I'd been selected to Staff Sergeant, Gunny, and Warrant Officer.
Often where a troop lands in the 10% breakdown depends on the environment. As a motivated lad in the military, I could barely keep productive among really high speed troops, I was adequate among Abn troops, excellent in fine non-Abn Infantry units, and leading several ranks above my rank in non-combat arms units. The right troop has to be assigned to the right mission. Capability is a huge factor that must be considered. That knowledge made a huge difference in my life in industrial maintenance for the last 30 years. Still can't do anything with the truly lost and the cocky know-it-all's except run them off fast as you can.
