If you were in the shoes of the business owner and had to choose which person would you hire (Avery or Jaime) and why?

When deciding whether consistency or short-term maximal performance is more important, it is critical to consider the job you are hiring for. However, as a general matter, I would hire Jaime for his reliability. While it is true that Jaime is unlikely to excel at his tasks, I think it is more valuable to have someone who is at least reliable in what you can expect from them. If I were to hire Avery, I would constantly be worrying if they will be able to resolve the next crisis. It is harder to plan around the idea that one employee is going to see a massive surge in productivity as opposed to a more constant flow that you would get from Jaime.

When or where would Avery be more valuable?

Avery could be great in a role where you see a lot of “slack-time” and occasional situations where you need everyone to perform at 110% efficiency. One example where someone like this could be good is as a firefighter. Normally, you spend a lot of time not doing a huge amount. However, once a call comes in it is very important that every firefighter give it their best. Someone like Avery could do well here, as the usual less-than-stellar performance could be forgiven if they are extremely competent when it counts the most.

How about Jaime?

Some positions that rarely come into crisis or sudden high-demand, such as a jeweler who makes custom items for example, can really benefit from consistency. Any post where it is important that a baseline level of satisfaction is achieved really needs someone who can do their tasks consistently. If 3/4 orders that are made to the jeweler were sub-par and 1/4 were amazing, you would likely see a serious drop-off in business as most of your customers realize you are not reliable. While Jaime may never become a world-renowned master jeweler, he could get by with the work he does well enough to make him a useful employee.