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Finding the right person for the right job can be a daunting task. The ideal goal is to match a person with a position that is good for the individual and good for the organization. Everyone does best when they are able to focus on utilizing their strengths. Organizations profit when people are in sync with the organization. When either part of this equation is out of balance everyone suffers. The individual is diminished and profits are eroded. Define the Job Many small to medium sized companies build the company around the talent of certain key individuals. This causes a serious problem when the organization wants to grow or key individuals leave. The tasks and functions of the job need to come first and then it is easier to determine who is best suited to perform the particular job. Large companies have a tendency to allow aggressive people to build power structures that may or may not relate to the best interest of the organization. Unproductive politics are minimized when there is accurate measurement of performance. This has to be based on the organization’s grand strategy and then filter all the way down to the department and ultimately the individual. Every worker has a right to know what is expected of them. This is best done with a written job description and specific measurement. The job description should at least include: chain of command, specific tasks and functions, relationship of authority and responsibility, skills required, measurement of performance, performance review schedule and procedure, and standards for advancement. The real challenge goes beyond writing this information down. How realistic is the job description? Do people actually use it? Does it include specific measurements? How much should be paid to this person? There has to be a direct relationship between a job's contribution to the goals of the organization and the level of compensation. By using specific measurement for all jobs within the organization it makes this relationship more obvious. Variable compensation may help tie exceptional performance to financial rewards. The larger the organization, the more difficult it is to clearly define the relationship between contribution and compensation. Assess the Person Frequently A person justifies a paycheck because they contribute to the solution of problems and improves productivity. It is more difficult to find people with solutions than it is to find people who can identify your problems. When you find someone who is solution-oriented, hire them and pay them well. 'The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.' -Vidal Sassoon Each day a person should know if they have won or lost based on their contribution to the organization. This is done by having specific measurements for each person in the organization. Many companies pay more attention to the time clock than they do to actual production. Workers pick up on this very fast. They will give management what it wants. If you pay attention to the clock, they will be on time. If you pay attention to results and production, they will produce. An organization that has clearly defined job descriptions and measurement will eliminate the surprise termination. The worker will be measuring their performance daily and know if she is doing well or poorly. This gives each person the opportunity to correct behavior if they want to earn more or be promoted. Strive for a Win-Win Outcome A worker who is doing well in a particular job will be happy. If they are not doing well it will have a negative impact on the rest of their life. This is not in the best interest of the worker, the organization or the family of the worker. When workers are successful, management needs to help them grow. Be sensitive to workers who have different values than you do. It may be that they like their job and do not want to be promoted. There are other ways to grow besides promotion. Cross training is a vital need in most organizations. Many times the successful worker will want to teach other younger people how to master a job. Be creative and listen to the desires of the individual. Leaders need to help the people they work with fulfill their potential. If it cannot be done within the confines of a given organization, it is ludicrous to entertain changing the goals of the organization to meet the needs of the particular unsuccessful worker. I wouldn’t even mention this if I hadn’t seen it done in many organizations. However, it is management's responsibility to be honest with the worker and encourage him to seek other employment. A final caveat, just because a worker is very skilled at a particular task, it does not mean they are a good manager. The skills needed in management are quite different than in production, accounting, or selling. The irony is that often the best manager is not highly skilled in the tasks of the people he manages. Leaders need to learn to recognize the differences in people. They need to help each person focus on their strengths. Then they need to balance those people and strengths to maximize the organizational results. |
