The soldier has a right to competent command.
There is no such thing as a perfect record in making people decisions. Successful executives follow five ground rules.
First, the executive must accept responsibility for any placement that fails. To blame the nonperformer is a cop-out. The executive made a mistake in selecting that particular person.
But second, the executive does have the responsibility to remove people who do not perform. The incompetent or poor performer, when left in his or her job, penalizes all others and demoralizes the entire organization.
Third, just because a person doesn’t perform in the job he or she was put in doesn’t mean that that person is a bad worker whom the company should let go. It only means that he or she is in the wrong job.
Fourth, the executive must try to make the right people decisions for every worker. An organization can only perform to the capacity of its individual workers; thus people decisions must be right.
And fifth, newcomers best be put in an established position where the expectations are known and help is available. New major assignments should mainly go to people whose behaviors and habits are well known and who have already earned trust and credibility.
ACTION POINT: Accept responsibility for placements that fail. Remove people who do not perform.
Managing the Non-Profit Organization
People Decisions (Corpedia Online Program)
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker