Poor selection, inadequate training
If you pick the wrong person for the job they will under-perform
and make mistakes. You must ensure that you specify exactly
what you want in terms of experience, qualifications, know-
ledge, skills and personality and that you do not settle for second
best. Your interview should be planned systematically to find out
what the candidate has to offer under each of the headings of
your specification. Ensure by probing questions that you estab-
lish whether or not the experience is of the right sort and at the
right level. Ask for details of achievements. Check that the candi-
date has had a progressive career with no record of failures or
mysterious gaps. Check by telephone with the present or
previous employer that the candidate has told you the truth
about his job, period of employment and, where appropriate,
reason for leaving.
If you have failed to provide proper induction training, or to
take the right steps to identify and meet the individual’s training
needs, you should not be surprised if he is not up to the job.
Guidance on approaches to developing your staff is given in
Chapter 13.
Over-confidence
This is the most difficult problem to eradicate. It is always said in
the Royal Air Force that the most accident-prone pilots are the
over-confident ones. You need confidence in yourself and your
staff. How can it be controlled from going over the edge?
It takes time to understand or demonstrate that misjudge-
ments occur because you are so certain that you know all the
answers that no attempt is made to foresee or take care of the
unexpected. Over-confident people tend to have tunnel vision –
they can see quite clearly to the end but they take no notice of
what is happening on either side or beyond. And if they see the
light at the end of the tunnel they may not appreciate that it is the
light of an oncoming train.
Under-confidence
This can be overcome as long as the individual is fundamentally
competent. People who lack confidence often need help
from someone who can underline achievements and provide
308 How to be an Even Better Manager