Placements that Fail
The soldier has right to competent command.
There is no such thing as perfect record in making people decisions. Successful executives follow five ground rules. First, the executive must accept responsibility for any placement that fails. To blame the non-performer is cop-out. The executive made mistake in selecting that particular person.
But second, the executive does have the responsibility to remove people who do not perform. The incompetent or poor performer, when left in his or her job, penalises all others and demoralises the entire organisation.
Third, just because person doesn’t perform in the job he or she was put in doesn’t mean that that person is bad worker whom the company should let go. It only means that he or she is in the wrong job.
Fourth, the executive must try to make the right people decisions for every position. An organisation can only perform to the capacity of its individual workers; thus people decisions must be right.
And fifth, newcomers are best put in an established position where the expectations are known and help is available. Major new assignments should mainly go to people whose behaviours and habits are well known and who have already earned trust and credibility.
• Extracted from Peter Drucker’s book The Daily Drucker.
