Are the Wrong People on the Bus or Are They Just in the Wrong Seats?

When talking about a company or really any organization, many people often ask the question “Do you have the right people on the bus?” The idea is that hiring the right people in your organization is a really important key to success. The wrong people can destroy a company. The right people can take a company to new heights.

This is a pretty basic concept that most leaders understand. However, I was recently reminded by Ben Ramedani that sometimes you have “the right people on the bus”, but they’re just in the wrong seats. Check out Ben’s story:

We hired her as a telemarketer.
Her function was to generate leads across our sales channels, but she struggled with it.
Although she understood the theory, it was a problem implementing it.
I became impatient because time was against us.
I regretted hiring her. I contemplated terminating her appointment.
On the weekend, I was walking around the office when I saw her crying.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She answered as she quickly wiped the tears in her eyes.
I wasn’t convinced, so I called her in and had a talk with her.
She told me she wasn’t good with the role.
She’s been struggling with it but couldn’t quit because she’s going bankrupt and she’s on the verge of losing her home.
Also, the fear of losing her job due to poor performance is giving her sleepless night.
She broke down in tears.
I asked what she loved doing.
She told me, “graphics.”
She opened her laptop and showed me her portfolio, her creativity was top notch.
She’s the feminine version of Michael Angelo.
I changed her role to our graphic designer, and the rest was history.
I learned great lessons from her:
– Nobody is useless
– Everyone has innate abilities
– Sometimes you don’t need to sack but to ask.
And above all, in everything you do, be human.

What great lessons for those of us that are leaders in our organization. Certainly, there are times when a leader has to make decisions when someone is a bad fit and there’s nowhere else for them in the organization. There’s nothing worse than taking an employee that doesn’t work in one department and moving them around to multiple departments where they can wreak more havoc. I’ve seen that before too and it’s awful for everyone involved.

The key to Ben’s story is listening to the person and getting to know what they’re really passionate about. It’s usually not hard to find when you really show you care about someone. Once you find that passion, that’s half the battle. At least then you can make an informed decision about the future.

About the author

Adam Greenberg

As the lead blogger covering healthcare IT careers, Healthcare IT recruiting, and tips and tricks for healthcare IT job seekers on Healthcare IT Today, Adam brings a wealth of perspective and experience to his coverage of the industry. Having previously specialized in placing EMR implementation people with hospital clients, Adam Greenberg brings his 15 years of experience and connections in healthcare technology staffing to his coverage of the healthcare IT career space.

   

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