Thursday, October 19, 2006

Frying talent

A couple years ago I came across a case study in one of the monthly issues of the Harvard Business Review that was very interesting. A super star that makes the team feel like dirt and what was worse was the individual never acknowledges it and never realizes the long term affects of the behavior demonstrated. The individual is so good that the loss could have a significant effect on the organization.

Firing anyone is not an easy task let alone firing talent. I have quoted the proverb “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush”, but what if the bird in hand is not pretty? There is so much to it… the relationship, the person being affected, the effect on rest of the organization and lastly by no means the least, the effect on company image. Firing is a necessary evil to keep things in check and maintain a balance.

Four mediocre people are worse than one talented individual but one high maintenance individual is not worth the effort. I would say… coach’em, mentor’em and if nothing works fry’em.

Talent acquisition is a continuous process!