Round People in Square Roles

“In the area of behavior modification, the most, perhaps only, effective means are psychotropic drugs and frontal lobotomies, which may still be legal in some places in New York,” says Ed Ryan.

There are so many round people in square roles. So get out of the behavior modification business and get into the talent selection business.

The most effective managers are not those who are expert in motivation, or coaching, or process improvement. The most effective managers are those that are expert at defining roles and selecting the right people to fill those roles.

Look at your team. How long have you been trying to modify behavior? Any wonder why this is driving you nuts. Stop it. Get better at selecting talent, then go build your team. -TF

2 thoughts on “Round People in Square Roles

  1. Shey

    You make a good point Tom. I’ve left many positions, and seen many people leave positions, because they where not suited for them. This is probably the best idea for retention within companies.

    Reply
  2. Dan Barnes

    Tom:

    I have heard this one said two different ways:

    “Birds to fly, fish to swim.”

    and also…

    “You can’t make a pig sing”.. and if you do, it will not be very good nor for very long!

    Reply

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