The Third Shell - Who's Wearing the Mask (Part 2)

The Third Shell, the lying shell is the most toxic type of professional. Although a person working on a team that is not carrying their load and wanting compensation for it is destructive the person in that role may not always be toxic themselves.

There are three basic types that live under the lying shell:

1. Self - You can be under the lying shell in specific areas of your work or at different times in your career. If you are a self aware professional with a good support structure the "Self" will typically become aware of the gap or issue and set a plan to step into the Learning Shell. The "Self" will not tolerate being under the lying shell for very long.

2. Ignorant - You have heard the saying "You don't know what you don't know." This is the worst kind of not knowing. When this person is under shell three they typically don't even realize that they are not doing their job. This is usually a young professional who is excited to be in the role or quite possibly may have been promoted to far too fast and is now in a position to complex for their experience. They are not intentionally sitting under the Lying Shell. The best move that can be made here is to make them aware. As soon as you do they become self-aware and their energy moves toward moving away from shell three as quickly as possible. They do not want to be their, they ask for help and step into the learning shell.

3. Con-man - This is the professional third shell resident. They like getting paid for not doing their work and have no intention of carrying the load of their job, learning a new task or working hard. They have one goal, to stay under the lying shell and be paid for work not performed. This person is very good at what is called "crazy making" putting blame on others, the manager, the environment the job tasks anything that is needed to put the focus on something else so they can continue to under perform. This is a managers worst employee and if they are not careful this worker will destroy a team. The tactics to call this person out of their shell is simple Art and Science. Holding them accountable, using "feeling" statements not listening to excuses and monitoring results directly will soon have this person looking for another place to go. They will not like scrutiny, specific goals and leadership.

Review you team and put your group under the shells and see where you end up. Start to make yourself and others aware and based on how they react you will know if you have Lying Shell people willing to move to the Learning Shell and eventually into the Leading Shell where they are doing their work to the best of their ability and supporting your team. That is a great feeling when that happens.