Anticlue

Traits of poor performers

Viewed a glimpse of the Effective Public Manager today, by Steven Cohen and William Eimicke.

One excert that gave me pause was "Knowing When to Give Up on a Staff Member." It's a listing of characteristics for employees that would probably be better suited in another situation.

< --- Snipped from the book --->
1. Wastes time in meetings with trival or impossible issues.
2. Possesses poor listening skills - never seems to understand the last point made.
3. Refuses to work overtime.
4. Never arrives anywhere on time.
5. Is disliked by the rest of the organization.
6. Is pitied by the rest of the organization.
7. Spends much of the work day on personal business.
8. Agrees with everything you say.
9. Disagrees with everything you say.
10. Is at his or her best when analyszing why an assignment is infeasible, unnecessary, or otherwise not worth doing.
11. Rarely finishes an assignment on time.
12. Rarely finishes an assignment at all.
13. Is unable to explain or defend a product.
14. Undercuts member of his or her own staff.

The elements on the list are interesting. I think it is essential to realize that sometimes people don't fit in the role they are in, but there are roles that they fit in. The trick is matching people to those roles. The other essential characteristic is that sometimes people may have these characteristics due to other external events. The point is that if this is a habit with no other legitimate reason.