Week 5 – Blog Post: Typical vs. Maximal Performance

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

This decision would need to be based off of a lot more information than what is provided, but in general, I tend to lean towards taking a swing on a candidate like Avery since I believe that I, as a manager/mentor, can get the most out of my employees and help them to reach their full potential. Because of that I would want to hire the candidate with the most potential.

2. Describe a type of job where it would be better to hire someone like Avery (i.e., high potential, poor consistency) than Jaime? What is it about that job that makes someone like Avery more valuable than Jaime?

There are multiple factors that could lead to a company wanted to hire someone like Avery for a position. For starters, if the role contains some high-pressure situations, and the individual performance is directly tied into the wider success of the company, I think that Avery is the better candidate because people often rise to the occasion and will perform at their absolute peak in an effort to not let their peers down. These types of jobs would mitigate some of the lazy habits that are associated with Avery as a candidate. An example of a role that should prioritize candidates like Avery are sales-oriented roles.

3. Describe a type of job where it would be better to hire someone like Jaime (i.e., low potential, high consistency) than Avery? What is it about that job that makes someone like Jaime more valuable?

If the workplace environment is extremely volatile and if the company culture is somewhat chaotic, it could be a good choice to prioritize a candidate like Jaime. Volatile environments can breed differing results depending on the employee, so looking for someone who consistently performs at the same level is important to limit this volatility. If the leadership at the company is questionable, then it could also be beneficial to prioritize consistently solid employees. These employees do not need to be managed 24/7 and you are not taking much of a risk by hiring them. An example of a job that would be suitable for someone like Avery would be something like customer service where consistent performance is a top priority.