Tough Calls on Talent

It’s so tough to admit that we’ve made a mistake…and it’s especially tough to realize that the person we’ve hired is not going to work out.  Despite the rigorous screening process, the series of interviews, the WOW resume, you bleakly discover that your once promising candidate just isn’t fitting into the culture, delivering results or engaging at the level that is required for the job. 

You’ve had conversations, you’ve tried coaching, you’ve sent the individual to training programs and even suggested that the individual shadow others in similar roles and yet, many months later you see no progress.

For many executives, this is a very tough moment; it demands action and is a crucial part of talent management that is so often ignored—the act of transitioning people into new roles or outside of the organization. 

Few leaders want to deal with this kind of people problem and really, who can blame them?  The situation is fraught with human emotion.  On the one hand, as a leader you chastise yourself for making the mistake or of not following an intuitive instinct or surrendering to the perceptions of other interviewers; on the other hand you are frustrated that the person has put you into this situation and cannot seem to respond to your feedback. 

In the end, you have important questions to consider before transitioning this person into a new role or out of the organization.  When you can answer these questions affirmatively, then it is time to meet with your HR professional to create a better fit for the employee.

1. Have I been clear on my expectations for the role and the level of performance?
2. Have I provided the employee with opportunities to ask questions, gain feedback, connect with others and gain knowledge of the organizational culture?
3. Have I paved the way internally on projects or work that did not go well?
4. Have I helped the employee to evaluate project outcomes and develop “lessons learned”?
5. Have I ensured that there are adequate systems and funding in place to do the job?
6. Have I ensured that the workload is reasonable and achievable?
7. Am I confident that the job is set up to enable success?

 

If you can answer yes to all of these questions then it’s time to take action, to assuage your guilt and to act in the best interests of the company.  If you cannot, you have some work to do.  I'd love to hear of a situation or comment from you on this subject.  

Comments

[Adam Smith]

Debbie,
Great post on the delicate subject matter. Emotions so often can cloud judgement and especially in regard to work relationships. I've found that honoring the individuality of people and their unique gifting can often lead to the right decision either within or without of an organization, and equipping staff with tools to grow is the best practice. Hopefully staff can take those opportunities and grow into more, but the decision still lies with the individual - which is what makes us all different I guess. Thanks for writing. I look forward to more.