Sometimes

Most leaders have spent time wondering whether (and how much) to invest in someone or just to let then go.

When exploring whether to hire or fire someone, we ask, “Can this person fit or change to fit our organization?” Sometimes the better question to ask is, “Can we create an environment where this person can succeed?”

Some hints that we should be asking the latter: we have trouble filling the role, we have high turnover, our organization struggles by not having this role performed well, we often have to do the work of this role, people who have struggled in this role have done well elsewhere, or we show stubbornness regarding how people in this role should behave.

Sometimes our best investment is not in getting others to change but in evolving our organization to tap the talents and engage hearts of the people on the team.

In your corner,

Mike