Dear Church or Non-Profit Leader,

Would you please stop hiring someone just because “they are a great guy” and “you guys click”. Character and Chemistry are important…but simply and severely incomplete.

Devastating incomplete. That hire must also be COMPETENT. But not just randomly competent…competent where you and the organization are desperate for them to have competencies.

Your personnel dollars are precious and few…how are you going to invest them?

How are you going to assess what needs your organization has in order to determine what set of skills / type of leader you need?

How are you going to assess the competency of the person you are wanting to hire?

Where are you going to find that hire?

You mis-fire on hires…surround yourself with “great folks” who “have your DNA”…but can’t DO what your organization desperately needs DONE and you will set your organization back years, deeply frustrate the rest of your team, hurt those you are trying to lead, and your leadership credibility will take a huge hit.

And…you do “the new guy” a severe disservice by not making sure he or she is great where you need great…you waste your time and their time. You lose, they lose…your organization loses.

And…for the sake of all that is good in the universe…when you find yourself in that “uh-oh” scenario of a mis-hired person, please do not take the easy path of re-shuffling them through the organization trying to find another fit. That hardly ever works. It feels better in the short term…but usually just buys you about 6 months…then the issue is right in front of you again!

Man up, own the mistake and lead that person through a redemptive exit strategy.

Take your medicine. It should be costly. Invest in them to help them find their next opportunity that fits who they are. You bear some brunt in that…you helped create that mess.

Way better to get clarity on the front in on what you need and get clarity in the process of the potential hires Character, Chemistry and COMPETENCE!

Watching a highly competent person dominate an area of your organization that desperately needs that kind of leadership / skill set is a beautiful thing!

Lead On! Go get em!