Dialed In by Dana Sinclair

Author:Dana Sinclair
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Less talent, more character

Building a successful business or team is a lot easier when you have the right people. Those who can add significantly to the performance of your group are key ingredients to quality results. Interestingly, avoiding a red flag may be even more important than finding people with skill and talent.

While many people mature with experience and age, red flags tend to struggle more in their approach to life. These individuals are much more likely to behave in thoughtless, inconsiderate ways. They are generally self-serving, can act impulsively, or disregard rules for their own satisfaction. They are emotional and ready to complain. They tend to tolerate lower standards for themselves and others, enjoy rebelling, and avoid being socially responsible. They can try to make a conscious effort to think through their actions or try to avoid doing things just for their own gain, but such efforts are not reliable over the long haul.

A senior publishing executive told me about his “character rule” when signing potential authors to book deals. He had just met with a high-profile business leader who would surely land on the bestseller list. The problem was that the publisher left the meeting feeling strongly that this corporate boss would be his usual arrogant and condescending self when working alongside the publisher’s high-level team of editors and public relations and marketing specialists. Even though this future author was only, say, half a red flag, the publisher was unwilling to expose his people to morale-busting treatment.

Tough decisions like that take courage and integrity. If you can avoid difficult people in the selection process, you should do so, as no amount of sensitivity training is going to change the core of a red flag individual. If you recognize a red flag in your organization and see that they are disrupting your group unnecessarily, strongly consider terminating them. Let them go with care of course, but sooner rather than later.

Many businesses fail to be accountable for their red flags. It is easier to ignore them and hope for the best, especially if you are excited by the opportunity to bring in a rainmaker or a super talent. But red flags put an organization’s long-term viability at risk. No organization can absorb a red flag without consequence. Those that do it better have exercised strong leadership and a willingness to discipline those who step beyond the organization’s core vision and values. Even so, they eventually lose good people or gain a reputation as a problematic or noxious place to work.

It’s not so difficult to avoid a bad situation if you do your due diligence up front. When hiring, check the candidate’s references, and ask specifically about character and personality. Investigate: Were there any issues? Any confrontations of note? I say “of note” because, let’s face it, some confrontations are appropriate and necessary. For instance, if you feel there has been a mistake in your performance review or something is being said about you that isn’t true, why wouldn’t you confront the situation to make it right? Confrontation doesn’t have to be contentious.

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