It's A Management Problem

Sometimes in a seminar I will make anThe second reason that someone is in the wrong
observation about a company or person andposition is that their Behavioral Style and their
suddenly it is like the flood gates open! Everybodynatural strengths do not match their present
in the room is aware that a particular person is inposition.
the wrong position and by me opening up thatAgain, this is sometimes very obvious to people
door all of the pent up frustration, anger and fearwho work in the company, but no one speaks up
is suddenly released.or the managers and owners do not want to
As we evaluate our team, we need to constantly"rock the boat."
balance the need for results with the need toThe best way to address this is to 1st determine
have a happy team. In our evaluation phase wewhich behavioral style you are or your employees
would check to make sure that each person'sare and then match them to the correct position.
skills and behavioral style fit the position we areIf you are an open and outgoing person, you
asking them to fill.might be better suited for the Customer Service
So what causes a person to be in the wrongor Sales in your organization.
position?Maybe you are more direct and assertive.
They have a certain skill set that works best inPerhaps you would find life much easier in say
certain situations at certain times. The "CertainProduction or Project Management.
Rule." Oh sure, they can do the job, but thePossibly you are the "personal type," warm and
overall task suffers as skill sets that apply only tofriendly but a little less direct. You may find
certain situations do not apply to all aspects ofhappiness in the Human Resources or the
the job. And it is this small percentage of poorExecutive Secretary areas.
results that stink up the joint (so to speak).And if you are self contained and indirect in your
It's like having them in a glass cabinet that saysstyle you might be best in a task oriented area of
"Break In Case Of Crisis."your company like IT or Accounting.
Problem is, that person is in the wrong cabinet.As managers and owners we sometimes feel
Never mind that in "certain situations" this personthat the "Company's needs" outweigh all, and they
is like pure gold. The result: The overall task anddo, until you start putting personnel in positions
company suffers as the person struggles to do athey are not best in, with the thought that "they'll
good job, work with other employees andget used to it" or "they'll have to adapt. Then the
achieve goals.company's needs are not being met, are they?
The Cure: Train them in a new skill set, minimizeIf you are paying a person to do the entire job,
the impact of the other tasks associated with theand they are not matched properly, are they
job, change the overall position to focus on theirdoing the entire job? Well? I think not.
strengths or hire an assistant to help with tasksNo human being can be forced to change or go
that are not getting done.against their natural grain.
You can also remove that person from thatEver been in a relationship and waited for the
position to one of equal value with a different setother person to change because they would "if
of tasks that utilize the natural strengths of thatyou loved me." Still waiting, aren't you?
person.A fool's hope is waiting for someone to change
You can let them go and replace them with thebecause they ought to.
right person. (With "letting them go" the worstAre you betting your companies fortune on a
choice by far)fools hope?