Taking Chances on People | HR Inspiration from a Cab Ride in Egypt

How to start taking chances on people in the workplace.

Hiring a New Employee 

At first, taking a chance on a new hire, someone with whom you have no experience and who has not proven whether he/she is capable of doing the job at hand seems like a risk not worth taking.  However, the degree of risk should be weighed by what the job requires, not whether the resume is impressive.  What we mean is that not all people can be pigeonholed or easily characterized.  Sometimes, taking chances on people pays unexpected dividends. 

While it's important to ensure that the candidate is a good fit for your organization, perhaps the focus should be on what the individual can bring to the position itself. For example, does the job involve a great deal of issue identification and problem-solving? If so, perhaps personal qualities such as curiosity or an analytical mind should be sought out. 

Let's consider another potential scenario.  Maybe the department is one in which company politics are played out on a daily basis.  You might want to consider hiring someone who seems to have a very steady personality, pleasant but not overbearing.  Often, current employees are threatened by the arrival of a new co-worker; introducing one who can be humble might be the wisest choice, even if their resume isn't the best among those submitted.

Of course, taking chances on people when hiring has some potential downsides. However, you'll know fairly quickly if it's not going to work out, most likely before you've invested too much time, money, and effort into the employee.    

Promoting an Employee  

Taking chances on people by promoting them presents a greater risk than initially hiring them.  Contrary to what most people believe, the primary reason to promote someone is not to meet a specific organizational challenge or solve a pressing company problem.  The more productive view is that in promoting someone who has provided value to your organization, you give them further opportunities to maximize that value, something they frequently do in ways you could not have foreseen when the promotion was initially considered. 

Promoting someone involves different considerations than simply hiring someone, not the least of which is that you are dealing with a known quantity, so to speak. However, you are also at the mercy of your own biases, which may cause you to over-analyze past performance or project what you "think" the person will do in their new position. You don't really know, and you certainly can't be sure. 

So take a chance.  Give the candidate being considered for promotion the chance to participate in a project above his /her pay grade, so to speak.  You might be surprised by their new perspective or solution.

Assigning a Project Manager

This is actually the riskiest of three scenarios for taking chances on people in an HR context.  You're probably considering assigning a project manager because your organization has a specific need, likely one that also has a deadline and some serious consequences if the project is not completed successfully.  Choosing the wrong person could actually be disastrous.  Again, you can't be sure.  But here is where a gut decision makes the most sense.  Deciding on the person best suited to run a project requires identifying someone who can not only do the work required but also has the personality that can drive others to reach their potential.  A team player, one with a well-managed ego, is probably your best choice. 

The Benefits