Picture a scale.
On one side is how well an employee fits your company culture. On the other side is the “technical” contribution they make through executing their role and responsibility.
Evaluate your direct reports.
Ideally, the two sides of the scale are in balance: they are a cultural fit and they execute their duties at or above standard.
You get in trouble when the scale is out of balance.
If someone is technically skilled but are not a cultural fit, they may become cancer and have a negative impact on others.
They may also get you by the “short and curlies” because they have specialized knowledge (ie. Finance, IT, Sales) that makes them “irreplaceable” {never let this happen}.
In this case, either they correct their behavior, or they get moved out of the company (eventually, when you’ve found a replacement).
What if they are a cultural fit but lack the technical capabilities?
Either train them or move them to another position. You only let them go if they have no contribution to make in the company commensurate with what you are willing to pay them and they are willing to accept.
Your takeaway
Evaluate each employee based on their cultural fit and technical contribution, make sure the scale is in balance
I recently shared this framework with one of my executive coaching clients
It helped him to gain clarity on a number of difficult conversations he needs to have with his employees. If you are a construction executive and are interested in having a sounding board to help work through some of your toughest challenges, click this link and contact me directly.
