Selecting Players and Employees ( from First Break All the Rules)

This article was originally posted on the site in 2011, but we are posting it again as a StrengthCoach Classic to serve as a refresher and so newer members can see it.

I have to give credit to Ray McCarthy for this one.  Ray recommended First Break All the Rules and I bought both the audio and the book.  I'm going to try Audible.com as this process is getting expensive. Either way, I think this book is a must read for any coach, business owner or business manager.

I'm going to try to hit some points over the next few days that really jumped out at me from the book. The first one dealt with a problem I see all the time. As coaches or employers we are always trying to fix players or employees. In First Break All the Rules author Marcus Buckingham says:

“Great managers would offer you this advice: Focus on each persons strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don't try to fix the weaknesses. Don't try to perfect each person. Instead do everything you can to help each person cultivate his talents. Help each person become more of what he already is. ” p141

I think this is great advice and, would save a lot of us in coaching or in management a lot of headache and heartache.  I think sometimes we get so focussed on what someone can't do that we fire, trade or bench a great contributor out of our frustration at not being able to change them.

Buckingham goes on to say:

“This story describes a doomed relationship. The conventional manager genuinely wants to bring out the best in the employee, but she chooses to do so by fixing the employees weaknesses. The employee probably possesses many strengths, but the manager ends up characterizing him by those few areas where he struggles. “page 145

Read this and see if you don't see just a little bit of yourself.