The Truth About Staff Who Can't Perform

Let me tell you a quick story. When I started my first job
as an apprentice engineer, I quickly realised that some of
my fellow apprentices shouldn't be in the job. They just
didn't have the aptitude or ability for engineering.

Back in those days, and I don't mean Victorian times, staff
selection wasn't very sophisticated. All budding apprentice
engineers were interviewed by a foreman, and if he liked the
look of you; you got the job.

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by a foreman who, in
his spare time, was a Captain in the Boys Brigade. I was a
member of another BB company; so guess what, I got the job.
Neither I, nor any of my fellow apprentices were ever tested
for our ability, or for any natural talent we might have,
for engineering.

Resultantly, many apprentices shouldn't have been there in
the first place. However, most of them struggled on and
qualified as time served engineers. The problem is, they
didn't turn out to be particularly good engineers. And, I
also suggest; weren't particularly happy engineers.

I've experienced customer service people who shouldn't be
let anywhere near a customer. Secretarial assistants who
couldn't spell or type fast enough; engineers who couldn't
read blueprints and plumbers who couldn't plumb.

If you have someone in your team who is unable to do the job
and is unable to learn, then you need to transfer them into
something they can do, or advise and help them to find other
employment. Now I know that may seem harsh and it's not
always easy or feasible to release people, however, you'll
never achieve your outcomes with the wrong person in the
job. The business may suffer and you're in great danger of
de-motivating the other members of your team. They won't
want someone on the team who can't do the job.

A client of mine realised that the customer service person,
they'd recently employed, couldn't handle the pressure of
difficult customers and situations. They realised that
training wouldn't solve the situation, so they transferred
her to a job where she produced quotations and didn't have
to speak to a customer.

What you need to do is get people who can't do the job, into
a job that they can do or get them out of your team.

I joined three companies as a manager and in each case I
inherited team members who didn't have what it takes to do
the job. I'd usually find three categories of people in the
teams - The first group were the 'good guys,' the ones I
knew could do the job and wouldn't give me any hassle. The
second group consisted of people who needed a bit of looking
after, watching closely and definitely some coaching.

The third group were the ones who didn't have either the
skills or the characteristics to do the job and no amount of
training, or anything I could do, would change that.
I would often find that these people, due to their lack of
success, weren't exactly happy in the job anyway and were
sometimes only too pleased to be transferred to another
position.

I hear you saying - "easier said than done Alan" and you're
right. But the Motivational Manager needs to address these
issues and 'bite the bullet' for the good of the team and
the business.
Alan Fairweather, 'The Motivation Doctor,' is an
International Speaker, Author and Sales Growth Expert.
For the past fifteen years, he's been turning 'adequate' Managers, Sales and Customer Service people into consistent top performers.

He is the author of - 'How to be a Motivational Manager'
A down-to-earth guide for Managers and Team Leaders.
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