Q.How much does the personality traits impact the performance of an employee?
A. Personality is important, but it is impossible to hire all-stars for every job. Therefore, leaders have to become architects and create an organisational context where ‘average’ people achieve extraordinary things. If anyone says ‘it’s all about the people’, they are mistaken. Great talent wins, but the idea of creating a great organisation where people of all sorts soar is dramatically underrated.
Q. How should a leader handle employees with different personality features and temperament? Should there be different rules for different people or a uniform code?
A. Yes, but the bar for achievement and excellence cannot be lowered for anyone. Yet, clearly, different people are motivated in different ways. Treating everyone fairly does not mean treating them the same way.
Q. How critical is it for management to ensure the psychological well-being of employees? How many organisations do it right now?
A. A leader should look an employee in the eye and say, “I want this to be the best job you ever had!”. If it is, they will perform well. Great leadership is about achieving outstanding results with ethics and compassion, even when no one is looking.
Q. There are introvert employees and then there are outspoken employees. Which are the more efficient when it comes to performance?
A. The question itself shows wrong assumptions. There are many ways to classify personalities and there are no rules of thumb. But, efficient? Who wants efficient employees? I want creative, insightful, energised, thoughtful, hard working – but efficient? No, thanks. That is thinking of1960s.
Q. What are the factors that influence the nature and outlook of an employee at work?
A. The entire environment that leadership establishes: goals, mission, objectives, roles, reward systems, processes, information flows, structure etc. These are all variables that managers work with each day, whether they know it or not. They are all interdependent and when thoughtfully put together, can unleash talent. When not, organisations get in the way and de-energise even the best.
Q. What is some of the best personality features to be looked for in an employee?
A. Energy, brains (not a personality trait, but I want intellectual bandwidth!), pride and ‘us and we’ mindset for ‘I and me’ mindset.
