4 ms·

I'm not sure why the exec is less at fault than another class of employee. If you hire a programmer or designer who can't deliver, how is that any different?

by tedsuo 15y ago

JamesBlair 15y ago
Because the executive's performance depends on the team he's working with. If there's mismatch between the executive's leadership and the team, that will result in difficulties regardless of his skill.
- mkramlich 15y ago
  so if his performance is bad, it's the fault of his team. but if his performance is good, it justifies the huge bucks they make. i sense a discrepancy. in my world, with greater reward should come greater responsibility.
  - JamesBlair 15y ago
    Severance packages are often quite generous too. :-) But the important point is that it's not about blaming people for things they can't be expected to control. Firing incompetent executives is, as the article pointed out, hopefully rare. But if they can't meet performance goals they should still be let go: if a company was in this position with regard to firing their employees, I'd be equally concerned if they were disparaging.
- civilian 15y ago
  I totally agree, but how do you find a match between an executive & the team during the interview process?
  - harryh 15y ago
    Conveniently, Ben has also written on how to hire executives: http://bhorowitz.com/2010/10/14/hiring-executives-if-you%E2%80%99ve-never-done-the-job-how-do-you-hire-somebody-good/ http://bhorowitz.com/2010/10/14/hiring-executives-if-you%E2%...
    - r00fus 15y ago
      I guess Ben has a thing for lyrics from rappers about N*&$!s On another note, is it a bad idea to have a successor lined up (or at least prepped) prior to the firing?
wanorris 15y ago
I think the same thing can be true of highly qualified professionals as well. If you are hiring good developers and designers, it may make sense to take the same approach: Did we not screen for the right technical fit? Did we make a mistake in assessing the cultural fit? Professionals and managers can have a lot in common in this way. On the other hand, a large organization has many other kinds of staff. When you hire other types of employees (call center workers, loading dock workers, bookkeepers, etc.), you don't necessarily have the ability to do the same kinds of screening in advance, and you won't always be able to find workers with the same level of commitment and professionalism to staff lower-tier positions. So you're more likely to fire someone simply because they couldn't or wouldn't do their jobs correctly than you are with professionals and executives.

I'm not sure why the exec is less at fault than another class of employee. If you hire a programmer or designer who can't deliver, how is that any different?

by tedsuo 15y ago

I'm not sure why the exec is less at fault than another class of employee. If you hire a programmer or designer who can't deliver, how is that any different?

JamesBlair 15y ago

Because the executive's performance depends on the team he's working with. If there's mismatch between the executive's leadership and the team, that will result in difficulties regardless of his skill.

mkramlich 15y ago
so if his performance is bad, it's the fault of his team. but if his performance is good, it justifies the huge bucks they make. i sense a discrepancy. in my world, with greater reward should come greater responsibility.
- JamesBlair 15y ago
  Severance packages are often quite generous too. :-) But the important point is that it's not about blaming people for things they can't be expected to control. Firing incompetent executives is, as the article pointed out, hopefully rare. But if they can't meet performance goals they should still be let go: if a company was in this position with regard to firing their employees, I'd be equally concerned if they were disparaging.
civilian 15y ago
I totally agree, but how do you find a match between an executive & the team during the interview process?
- harryh 15y ago
  Conveniently, Ben has also written on how to hire executives: http://bhorowitz.com/2010/10/14/hiring-executives-if-you%E2%80%99ve-never-done-the-job-how-do-you-hire-somebody-good/ http://bhorowitz.com/2010/10/14/hiring-executives-if-you%E2%...
  - r00fus 15y ago
    I guess Ben has a thing for lyrics from rappers about N*&$!s On another note, is it a bad idea to have a successor lined up (or at least prepped) prior to the firing?

wanorris 15y ago

I think the same thing can be true of highly qualified professionals as well. If you are hiring good developers and designers, it may make sense to take the same approach: Did we not screen for the right technical fit? Did we make a mistake in assessing the cultural fit? Professionals and managers can have a lot in common in this way. On the other hand, a large organization has many other kinds of staff. When you hire other types of employees (call center workers, loading dock workers, bookkeepers, etc.), you don't necessarily have the ability to do the same kinds of screening in advance, and you won't always be able to find workers with the same level of commitment and professionalism to staff lower-tier positions. So you're more likely to fire someone simply because they couldn't or wouldn't do their jobs correctly than you are with professionals and executives.