In my coaching, two areas arise over and over again as roadblocks to experiencing joy and fruitfulness in leadership responsibilities:
- The challenge and inability to manage and lead yourself or stay on top of your responsibilities and job expectations without regularly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted at the end of a day/week;
- Not making good choices on whom you hire, bring on as a volunteer, or add to your team.
So, don’t bring somebody on if…
1 – There are significant character flaws that require you to re-parent them
Nobody is perfect, except Jesus, but there is a monumental difference between a person growing in character and one who has character issues so significant that they will require you to be the “parent,” as they are unable to contribute because of the character deficit they carry.
2 – You have to “talk” yourself into hiring them against your better judgment and the advice of the other team members.
Don’t let your heart run away with your head. Don’t be in a hurry because of a role that needs to be filled. Don’t let personality, promise or potential make you blind to people’s character, competency and capacity.
3 – They are not teachable and eager to grow and learn.
A person who will not receive input/correction will become a bottleneck and set a bad example to others in the organization and on your team. These days, I put having a teachable spirit at the top of my list of essential traits.
4 – You feel sorry for them.
You’re going to feel even sorrier after you bring them on and find out they are not a good fit. If you have a lot of priest in you as a leader and your heart goes out to people who are hurting and in need, this becomes doubly hard. Pity should not enter into hiring practices.
5 – The thought of spending time with them makes you want to escape to a Caribbean island.
If you don’t really like them in the interview, it will not likely be better after the interview. Team chemistry is critically important and some people fit well and some people flat out don’t. You should genuinely enjoy hanging out with them, not simply tolerate them. If you can’t see yourself doing social things together and truly looking forward to their company, take a pass on them.
6 – They spend a lot of the interview time complaining about prior work places and bosses, blaming everyone else for their lack of success.
It’s just a matter of time until they start to blame you and your leadership for their lack of performance. It’s not whether you win or lose but how you place the blame. And some peeps are pros at this… never taking personal responsibility for much of anything. It’s always somebody else’s fault.
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