I’ve known some geniuses who were such a pain to work with that we had to let them go; then again, some of our most brilliant, delightful, and effective people were let go by previous employers for being none of those things. It would be nice if there were some magic bullet that turned difficult people into success stories, but there isn’t. There are just too many unknowns and immeasurable personal characteristics involved for us to pretend that we have figured out how to do that. Everyone says they want to hire excellent people, but in truth we don’t really know, at first, who will rise up to make a difference. I believe in putting in place a framework for finding potential, then nurturing talent and excellence, believing that many will rise, while knowing that not all will.

This hint is courtesy of Aubrey C. Daniels, author of Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement (a foundational business book that all leaders should read).

Verne wrote a column specifically for entrepreneurs on how to “Hire the Right #2.” Go to scalingup.com to download a copy.

We are not those people. We do recommend Hidden Value: Getting Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, by Charles O'Reilly and Jeff Pfeffer, as well as Amy Edmondson's research on organizations that create psychological safety for their employees, which is some of the most exciting work we've seen in this space. There are many others who deserve to be on that list.

We are not those people. We do recommend Hidden Value: Getting Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, by Charles O'Reilly and Jeff Pfeffer, as well as Amy Edmondson's research on organizations that create psychological safety for their employees, which is some of the most exciting work we've seen in this space. There are many others who deserve to be on that list.