Top Management Story

Writen by Marcia Zidle

You can possibly teach a turkey to climb a tree – but it is a lot easier to hire a squirrel. Quality staffing means selecting the right people with the right skills for the right jobs and at the right time. A good hire can take the weight of the world off your shoulders. A poor one can eat up your time and energy and weaken an entire team. So, why do so many leaders place so many people in so many wrong places? Here are five key reasons.

Failure to prepare.
When leaders are so busy dealing with multiple issues everyday, they may not have the time to do the front-end homework that is required. Find the time because bad staffing decisions can be costly in terms of your time and your money.

Failure to identify success factors.
You must go beyond the job description. Make a list of the qualities to be successful in the job. It could be two or three or it could be 10. Then go out and find people who have a giftedness to match those qualities.

Failure to evaluate correctly the person's skills.
If the position requires someone who is detail-oriented, then determine if the candidate has this competency either through behavioral interviewing or through some form of assessment.

Failure to do deal with a poor fit.
Something changed. Maybe the job, the organization, or the person changed. Maybe everything changed. Many people end up in the wrong place because they stayed in the right place too long. So the right place can become the wrong place over a matter of time.

Failure to be patient.
Sometimes the person is in the right place, but they have to grow into it - they have to be trained and developed. You know they have the giftedness, they have the ability, they have the passion; but they need time and someone to help them.

Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job – to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management.

Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks – resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs – fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.