Continuing on with my various thoughts after listening to Good to Great, by Jim Collins, I wanted to talk about "The Bus".
Jim does a great job of explaining the right/wrong employee situation using a bus metaphor (paraphrased):
First, you get the right people on the bus, and the wrong people off the bus. And, you make sure the right people are in the right seats.
This is so true. It's not just important to hire the right people, but it's equally important to make sure they're in the right roles to where they can be effective.
I've seen many companies hire someone who was great, and, for whatever reason, put them into a role that really didn't suit them. Sometimes it was a role that they had never done before, maybe it was a role that they thought they could do, sometimes it was just a temporary fix to get that person into the company with the intentions of eventually moving them to the ideal position later.
But, ultimately, even putting the right people in the wrong roles can be just as damaging to your business.
Have you read Peopleware by Tom Demarco? www.amazon.com/.../102-2849597-8954516
It's an old book, and a quick read -- I recommend you add it to your reading/audio list...I think you would enjoy the book...
and remember, don't give them a seat on the bus until you know they are the right people. This will make it easier to throw them under the bus if necessary.