hiring
2008-04-08
Gene Pool
Filed Under:
When making hiring decisions, do you go for the best? Or do you go for the best balance?
Conventional wisdom would tell you to go for the best, bottom line. Is this person driven by excellence? Are they truly outstanding? These are simple, yet important questions that any hiring company or organization might ask. If you can answer 'yes' to both, it's a good sign.
FORGE is fortunate enough to have some truly exceptional people applying to work – for nothing more than a small travel stipend – on the ground, in Zambia, for a year. Each cycle, our applicant pool increases in size and we often feel like we have to turn down people who would be great in the field.
The question we've been grappling with of late, however, is the one I posed above. Does the best individual get the job, or should it be the one who best complements the people who are already place or who have already been selected?
Quite frankly, the core staff of FORGE has yet to answer that question. One moment, some will feel strongly about one applicant and others will oppose. Then, after a few good arguments, the roles will reverse and one side will submit while the other joins the "opposition."
Relationships matter… we've seen bad pairings hamper the work of strong individuals. But, we've also seen impressive people overcome awkward relationships and turn in remarkable performances. When serving 20,000 unique people and personalities in a camp, variety can go a long way. But can strong people skills overcome less-than-strong intellectual prowess?
There has to be a line that straddles the camps. Where is it?
Conventional wisdom would tell you to go for the best, bottom line. Is this person driven by excellence? Are they truly outstanding? These are simple, yet important questions that any hiring company or organization might ask. If you can answer 'yes' to both, it's a good sign.
FORGE is fortunate enough to have some truly exceptional people applying to work – for nothing more than a small travel stipend – on the ground, in Zambia, for a year. Each cycle, our applicant pool increases in size and we often feel like we have to turn down people who would be great in the field.
The question we've been grappling with of late, however, is the one I posed above. Does the best individual get the job, or should it be the one who best complements the people who are already place or who have already been selected?
Quite frankly, the core staff of FORGE has yet to answer that question. One moment, some will feel strongly about one applicant and others will oppose. Then, after a few good arguments, the roles will reverse and one side will submit while the other joins the "opposition."
Relationships matter… we've seen bad pairings hamper the work of strong individuals. But, we've also seen impressive people overcome awkward relationships and turn in remarkable performances. When serving 20,000 unique people and personalities in a camp, variety can go a long way. But can strong people skills overcome less-than-strong intellectual prowess?
There has to be a line that straddles the camps. Where is it?
