You're Fired!

There are three types of workers that may not be the best fit for a culture of innovation.

February 20, 2012

NEW YORK - According to a Bloomberg article, there??s three types of employees who might be hindering a company??s ability to innovate and grow. Admittedly the story ran last year, but the insights caught our attention.

"How many of you out there in Innovationland have gotten the 'what took you so long??? question from your staff when you finally said goodbye to a teammate who was seemingly always part of problems instead of solutions?" notes the news source, noting that these types of people "passive-aggressively block innovation from happening and will suck the energy out of any organization."

Up first: the victims ?" "people who see problems as occasions for persecution rather than challenges to overcome." Bloomberg writes that these individuals cannot exist on an innovation team; they are angry, usually annoyed and complain a lot.

As a heads up for HR departments, getting rid of these types of employees require documentation to be in order, because they often are the most likely to feel as if a company has "maliciously terminated them regardless of cause."

Second: the nonbelievers ?" people who doubt that their hard work will lead to anything. "If you are a leader who says your mission is to innovate, but you have a staff that houses nonbelievers, you are either a lousy leader or in denial. Which is it?" writes Bloomberg.

And third: the know-it-alls ?" "Unfortunately, it is often this smartest, most-seasoned employee who eventually becomes expert in using his or her knowledge to explain why things are impossible rather than possible," notes the news source, adding that if the habits of these employees are too deeply ingrained to change, let them go. "Otherwise, this individual will unwittingly keep your team from seeing opportunity right under your noses."

"At one point in his career, Thomas A. Edison had dozens of inventors working for him at the same time??All of them needed to believe that they were part of something big. You want the same sort of people."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement