Hire for skill or the ability to collaborate?
I might be a brilliant strategist, but can I work with people in a dignified way?
Maybe I am a master at logistics but intolerant of any single mistake, with a temper to match.
Perhaps I can do my required tasks well, yet I infect the environment with toxic backstabbing.
I might be elected to the highest office yet have managed this through being a master of spin, not an ounce of substance behind my promises.
Or I might have accumulated great financial wealth off the back of exploitation, demanding I be celebrated for my success.
Human relationships, how we work together, how we enable synergy, how we treat others, counts for at least half of a productive workplace. If we do not take the time to build healthy collaboration, we will spend our time attempting to deal with the dysfunction.
Still we insist on hiring for skill and experience. The capacity to collaborate, listen, empathise, be open, learn, respond with emotional intelligence, be thoughtful, consider consequences, be adaptable, work with emergence, be kind…these qualities are often considered of lesser importance.
Photo taken March 27th 2022
