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OP complains about the "sixes" in his organization, but how would others (customers, vendors, investors, employees) rate him? Sure, the "sixes" may be holding

by edw519 16y ago

OP complains about the "sixes" in his organization, but how would others (customers, vendors, investors, employees) rate him? Sure, the "sixes" may be holding your company back, but just as likely, the "nines" and "tens" may be bailing because you're a "six". OP sounds kinda like a high school jock rating girls in the hall, "She's a 6." But the analogy fails in one critical area: OP has the opportunity (and responsibility) to turn his "sixes" into "tens". That's his fucking job (if he wasn't a six himself). I've lost track of the number of times I've witnessed mediocre employees become great with a change of management. That person with great references and potential you hired didn't suddenly turn into a "six". Something you or your organization did changed them. On the other hand, that disgruntled, under-performing employee didn't suddenly become great when the new manager restructured his job and paid attention to him. Like most stories, this one has two sides. Unfortunately, we often only get to hear the boss's side because when things to wrong, no matter whose fault, he's the one left standing.

johngalt 16y ago
If the author even knows a six from a ten. I'm continually surprised how often bosses fall for con-artist employees. I don't mean ones that are just clicking along and doing the minimum; I mean employees that are actively destroying your business. The salesman that games the incentive system or overpromises to make sales. The developer that "makes it work", but writes code so labrythine and undocumented as to make it impossible for any other developer to succeed. Or the middle manager that will sabotage other projects inside the company in order to look good in comparison. The easy question to answer is "should you hire good employees?". The hard question to answer is "how do you determine good vs bad?" Maybe those sixes aren't trying because they're worried that any exceptional performance will be seen as a threat to a paranoid senior staff member. For every one true 10/10 employee there are five con-artists. I'd argue the con-artists are a bigger threat than someone who's just there to punch a clock.

by edw519 16y ago

johngalt 16y ago

If the author even knows a six from a ten. I'm continually surprised how often bosses fall for con-artist employees. I don't mean ones that are just clicking along and doing the minimum; I mean employees that are actively destroying your business. The salesman that games the incentive system or overpromises to make sales. The developer that "makes it work", but writes code so labrythine and undocumented as to make it impossible for any other developer to succeed. Or the middle manager that will sabotage other projects inside the company in order to look good in comparison. The easy question to answer is "should you hire good employees?". The hard question to answer is "how do you determine good vs bad?" Maybe those sixes aren't trying because they're worried that any exceptional performance will be seen as a threat to a paranoid senior staff member. For every one true 10/10 employee there are five con-artists. I'd argue the con-artists are a bigger threat than someone who's just there to punch a clock.