I’ve had three true performance problems in my career as a manager. One was resolved by transferring her, the other two had to be let go. In the latest case, it was blatant incompetence combined with astonishingly poor social skills. (Buy me a beer and I’ll tell you stories that will make your hair curl).
This time I hired my last performance problem. At least with the other two, I inherited them. I can tell you all sorts of things, but it will come down the the fact that my back was against the wall, so I ignored my gut and hired him. I figured I could make it work. (Nope. Very much no. Not possible.)
It’s been good for no one, this last hire. I’m trying not beating myself up about this, but it’s worth reflecting on what I could do differently next time, for my own sanity. Equally, I doubt that it has been much fun for him. He’s been good at nothing. Everyone dislikes him. There’s constant conflict.
I had this university prof who said that as long as the number of teaching awards he received was greater than the number of crazy students who stalked him, he was going to call his career a success.
In the midst of my reflecting came the most beautiful vase of yellow roses. My young intern (that I also hired) has gotten a full time job and he wanted to say thank you for my coaching. Jack is my fourth intern (or minion) as you may hear me call them. I’m enormously proud of all of them.
By my prof’s metric, I’m still winning at the success game. I’m going to take that.
