Sunday, March 23, 2008

Know When to Fold Them or Maybe There's Another Way.

I often hear this story from managers and business owners (for many reasons, HR professionals don't do it).

"Jerry is a terrific person. Smart, affable, a really 'good guy.' He loves what he does and is passionate about it. It isn't enough. No answer to a question is right the first time. Work goes on for too long. I feel compelled to monitor whatever he does more than anyone else. He isn't incompetent; he's semi-competent."

Every company wants to hire knowledgeable people who require no oversight. At the same time, there are some employees who are almost competent. They torture you with their potential only to consistently disappoint.

Replace them.

To avoid such problems in the future, hire people on a temp-to-perm basis--that is they initial work for you as a temp with the plan to convert them to employee status in 90 days. Establish criteria in advance that will allow you to determine whether to convert them to employee status.

If they fail to meet that criteria within 60 days, spend the next 30 finding a replacement.

As an article I wrote some years ago observed, pebbles in your shoe never go away, despite how much we wish they would. They often cause hip and back pain that can be debilitating. Better to eliminate a problem than torture yourself and your organization indefinitely.


Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
 Concepts in Staffing
thebiggamehunter@cisny.com

© 2008 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

He is the author of “Get Yourself Hired NOW! The Big Game Hunter’s Guide to Head Hunting Your Next Job and Every Job After That” (in ebook and audio formats) and “Get Your Job Search Organized NOW!” (ebook) Both are available at www.getyourselfhiredNOW.com Register at the site and you will receive free copies of The International Job Board List and a Guide to Resume Writing.

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