Here’s the management question of the day… Are you spending more time selecting the right people than you are trying to fix the wrong people? By selecting we mean the recruiting process as well as the process of matching talents to task or making sure you have the right people in the right seat on the bus. It’s been well established that you can’t fix people. You can’t put in what was left out. But surprisingly, far too many managers seem to think they are the so-called chosen one and can be that one person of the ages who can actually teach the frog to sing, turn the weed into a rose or be the first to actually fix Lazy, Crazy and Stupid.
Take a few minutes to think about and evaluate the amount of time you spend trying to fix people. Now balance that out with the time you are spending selecting the right people for the task at hand. If selecting doesn’t outweigh fixing by at least 20 to 1 then you have an issue. If you’re spending time fixing we’re not saying you have to fire the person but you do need to start figuring out what other role you can put that employee in that matches her talents. If there is no other role available you may have to help her in selecting a new job somewhere else which is in fact the best option for everyone involved. The bottom line is this… Spend more time on the front-end by selecting the right people for the team. Don’t recruit a quarterback when your team already has one and is in real need of a lineman. Understand the team and the talents on it and recruit people that will fill the need of the team. Spend more time placing your current team members in a role or task that matches their talents. If you don’t do these fundamental things as a manager, no amount of motivating or coaching will change the morale, effectiveness or profitability of your team. You have a choice… Spend time on the front-end of selecting or take the road to failure by spending double-time fixing.
