Skills Vs. Dedication

I was working on advisory retainer with a client recently, and the client’s marketing person put in her two-week notice. We were exploring all of the organization’s marketing and communication strategy, so this was a major development. We created a plan to put the word out as quickly as possible to fill the position. The client asked me what skills I thought were most important for that position, given my understanding of the goals of the organization. I provided several that went on to form the job description of someone who would be able to push the organization in new directions.

But I stressed that focusing on the skills wasn’t the most important factor.

Given the choice between someone who has the skills, and someone who is missing the skills but who has shown strong dedication through their past actions, choose the latter.

Marketing skills can always be taught. Loyalty, dedication, and work ethic come from the individual and in the long run, are a much stronger indicator of employee success.

This week’s mission:

This week, observe. Who in your sphere of influence is fanatically dedicated to your organization? Who has shown that dedication over time, by doing what needs to be done, no matter how monotonous the task or outcome? How might you upgrade their training and skills so that they can fill the role?

Have a great week,

Ron