Talent, Expectations, and the Guy Curve

I was watching a sales presentation and it came to me: The Guy Curve.

The sales manager was waxing poetic about how he and his team were going to beat last year's numbers, exceed expectations, grab more market share.  .  .he might have mentioned something about settling the whole world peace thing, too.

These kinds of presentations aren't limited to sales people. You see them all the time. Managers promise increased productivity, R&D claim that a breakthrough is imminent, and the training & development folks offer "Wow" performance following a new, improved, behavioral workshop.

Why the Guy Curve? After thinking about it, it occurred to me that I simply haven't seen many women feel compelled to consistently deliver the same kinds of pumped-up, one-sided projections. (Any thoughts or conflicting observations are definitely welcome).

All of us who own a  "guy computer" have a secret, blank presentation template that looks like this:

As I card-carrying official guy, I wake up each day with my goals flashing on the computer screen as a reminder to hunker down and ride the one-way escalator to success! Until, at the end of the day, I see a graph that resembles this:

Managing Your Talents In Real Life

I'm not suggesting that you reduce your aspirations and settle for a lowest-common-denominator existence. That's not fun, productive, nor making the best use of your talents. I am suggesting that you consider the following:

1. Your talents usually expand over time if you are using and developing them. That means you'll hit a point where the current situation may not seem satisfying. Your level of motivation and productivity suddenly and mysteriously drop and you wonder why. This is a signal to re-think your situation and decide how best to proceed. The straight line takes a drop.

2. Your situation may change. Your new boss has higher standards for your performance and you find that you have to add to your repertoire. There's a learning curve involved and at the end, you are performing better. But in the middle, the learning part causes some doubt until you hit the new level of mastery.

3. Here's a tough one. You are, in fact, the very best at what you do. But you discover that the financial compensation for your talents isn't what you hoped it would be. Do you continue being the best at your craft or do you decide that it's more important--or even necessary--to find a "job" that pays better even though it doesn't use the full range of your talents? This happens frequently and really causes one to come face to face with what one truly values.

Note: You are in charge of your life but you aren't in control.

You can, however:

1. Manage your expectations more accurately

2. Learn to accept and adapt to the inevitable changes that take place around you

3. Recognize that some days will produce huge wins

4. Recognize that some days will produce agonizing setbacks

5. Recognize that your real success is not what life throws at you, but how you choose to respond to it. This is the single life skill that will separate you from others in the workplace. And it's the one that all employers value and notice. (Even if they have one of those guy-curve templates).

Comments

[Jim Stroup]

Hi Steve,

This is really a fascinating topic. Of special interest to me is your insight that women seem to be less vulnerable to this shortcoming (a generality that admits of many exceptions on both sides, but I think a valid generalization nonetheless). Women seem to have both a more fixed focus on the goal and a more alert perspective enabling them to anticipate and identify threats to achieving it. The result of this often leads to the observation that women appear to be more innovative thinkers than men.

Another moral here is that trumpeting one's reputation rarely leads to things that add to it. Thumping our spears against our chests can sometimes serve to steel us for battle, but that is often done by dulling our ability to perceive (and have a chance to prepare for or respond to) the dangers.

This is great stuff - thanks!

[Ellen Weber]

Great post - as always Steve! It inspires me to create a new post on the deep differences between the male and female brain and why it projects as it does from each on this topic. Cool insights here for a good launch on the topic. We now know a great deal more about mental differences -- and when we use what we know -- both genders zap forward:-) Thanks Steve, you model brains well!

[Wally Bock]

Another insightful post. Alas, at 63, I'm still learning the "realistic expectations" part of things. But I'll get better.

I wonder if the ever-popular "hockey-stick" graph, showing a brief decline in results, followed by a results curve soaring into low earth orbit, is related to your "Guy Curve."

[Steve Roesler]

Jim,

Well, first it probably would be good to acknowledge the exceptions on either side; yet I think the generalization would hold up if one watched a few hundred corporate presentations back-to-back.

You sure added to the conversation with "trumpeting one's reputation rarely leads to things that add to it."

I hope that shows up in a forthcoming book as a "caution to live by."

[Steve Roesler]

Ellen,

I'm glad that you weighed in and that it struck a note with you.

There are a number of relevant spin-offs from this that could use the "brain-based" touch. They could prove both interesting and helpful.

Perhaps we should connect?

[Steve Roesler]

Wally,

I believe you are referring to the Maurice "The Rocket" Richard curve. The Rocket has been a foundational touchpoint in much of my own career and management thinking. Good stuff, eh?

[Beth Robinson]

I'd never dream of actually TELLING somebody a "guy curve" pumped up projection. But I've definitely had them. I can get everything on this list done today... I'll make all these calls and sell all this stuff (my few months as a Mary Kay consultant in college were very illuminating)... This paper will be the best I've ever done... And so forth.

Managing expectations more accurately was definitely one of my learned skills, primarily through college and my first couple years of work. Then it became natural and the guy curve effect kind of went away, at least until things changed. When I added an online MBA and a baby to my life I REALLY had to put those skills to use again and struggled with it. The other struggle is not making those realistic expectations too low, but that's another topic.

Points 2,3,4,and 5 are equally familiar and that list is a great breakdown related to your main point. I hadn't heard it put that way before - in charge but not in control - and it sounds right.

My personal experience shouldn't be considered to invalidate your generalization. I tend to fall outside that type of gender expectation about half the time. My husband and I went to an exhibit on gender at the Franklin Institute and started cracking up at one exhibit because so many of the typical characteristics were flip-flopped between the two of us.

[Steve Roesler]

Beth,

Well, what you described is actually the distinction I was referring to. Even though you may think about the pumped-up projection, you wouldn't do it.

It's fascinating, though, how the single example of how one presents one's self automatically starts a discussion of other male/female generalizations and exceptions.

Sounds as if you and your husband enjoy great chemistry. Pun intended:-)

[PRANEET V]

great view and factual learning