Doing the wrong job

 So, I'm watching season 1 of the wire, and it is sneakily about managing a team.  

They get handed all the "Problem" staff from the department.  people who don't do the job well, or so they think.  But, we find out these people didn't do well because they were doing the wrong jobs.  

Freamon, seems like a lost cause, sitting at a desk making miniature furniture but, the moment he is back on the street, answers roll in.  

Prez proves that he should NOT be out there or interacting with the public, but, he cracks the pager code cause he was bored.  

In my career, I have seen this 100 times.  Folks come into a team and under-perform because they are doing the wrong job.   It's like the saying, "A fish will always fail if you judge it on tree climbing" 

Those same people move to another team, or better, we reallocate them to another job on your own team, and they shine!  

I had a coworker who was easily flustered and didn't pivot quickly to new information.  Having him to facilitate critical system failure recoveries was not working as the ability to calmly think on your feet and innovate are critical to the job.   

Rather than remove him, he was given the task of watching over automation.  His attention to detail, knowledge of procedure, and tenacity in chasing those details down made him excel in that job.  

Then we had the case of motivation.   This was a coworker who was miserable.  He was brilliant, innovative, and could solve any puzzle put in front of him.   When dealing with technical teams he could be firm when necessary but also respectful so no one minded working with him, even if he did chew you out in the heat of the moment.   You would usually look back and say "That was fair"  

But, this guy hated the working environment, he felt like he was in a dead end, and sometimes would just not show-up. 

It was so bad, that, despite his brilliance, we called him "the Canary" In honor of the bird coal miners would take into the dark with them.   If poison gas built up, the canary would die before the miners were seriously harmed and they would know to get out,  

We figured that if layoffs were coming, "The Canary" would get the axe first.   As long as "the Canary" had a job, we were all safe.  

Well, our Canary managed to get a job in another department.   He could work from home, self manage and had a great deal of control over the results of his work.   Suddenly he excelled and became one of the top men in the company from that department.   

If you find yourself struggling with members of your team.  Rather than continuing to try and hammer their square pegs into round holes, it may be time to take a step back, look at where they properly fit, and move them around.   

Most people want to do well at their job, give them a job where they can do well and you will be surprised!