Dad was sitting at the front of his bass boat tossing a spinner bait to the edge of some lily pads. We had been fishing for a couple of hours. The conversation had not been heavy. Some jokes swapped, fish were being caught, and he was in a good mood. I then asked, “How’s work going, Dad?” Without missing a beat he quipped, “My bosses are trying to send a duck to eagle school.” To say I was confused would be an understatement.

“A duck to eagle school? Dad, what the crap does that even mean?”

He turned in his seat to face me and said, “The people above me have me working with a guy and they want him to be a talented manager. But he doesn’t have the skills. He can’t identify problems, and when he does see one he doesn’t understand how to communicate or motivate the team to solve it. Son, they’re trying to put a square peg in a round hole. That’s what I mean by sending a duck to eagle school.”

I’ve never forgotten that conversation. Like many of these talks, they took place on a river in Louisiana while fishing. It wasn’t intense or pointed. Just a father and a son trying to understand the state of things and having a good time while doing so.

Are you trying to send a duck to eagle school? Are you attempting to put a square peg in a round hole? Are you trying to put someone in a role for which their skills do not support? They have a great attitude, everyone likes them, and there’s leadership presence when they enter a room. All those things are great unless they can’t do the job.

What are some signs that you’re trying to send a duck to eagle school?

First, be mindful of the amount of support it takes to make that person successful. The person you’re wanting to advance needs to think and do for themselves. If you’re having to step in to make decisions and clean up messes, there’s a good chance you’ve got the wrong person. Also, if you’re having to surround that person with multiple support staff so they get stuff done then there’s a problem. Stop trying to put people in roles they were never meant to fill.

Second, they simply lack the skillset. There’s a leadership adage that one should hire for attitude and train for skill. That’s a good principle but know there are exceptions for every rule. If you’re hiring an accountant or bookkeeper, don’t just hire for attitude. Make sure they’re good at math. If the person doesn’t have the basic knowledge to do the job, then you’re trying to send a duck to eagle school.

Third, they lack soft skills. They don’t understand people. There’s an inability to carry a conversation, read body language, praise and correct others. I’m not saying these individuals must be extroverts. Even an extrovert can be uncaring and not see others. But these individuals you want to see grow must have the raw talent to engage with and be interested in others.

Finally, never trust a book by its cover. Just because someone looks and talks like a leader doesn’t mean they are one. Give the person a project and have them work with a team. Is the team better because of the person? What was the quality of the project when completed? Were people treated with respect? Make sure the pages between the book covers have what it takes to support the hype on the back dust cover.

Take a few moments today and consider your team. Are you promoting the right people? Are you trying to put a duck through eagle school? Do you find yourself frustrated with the same person repeatedly? Step back and make the assessment. Realign the team. Put the right people in the right seats. When you do, you’ll hear a massive sigh of relief throughout the organization. You’ll

Want to chat some more about this? Grab a fishing pole and let’s spend a few hours chatting. Who knows, we may catch a few fish and see some eagles while we’re by the lake.

Leadership matters,

Brian

Corner House Agency, LLC

brian@cornerhouseagency.com

www.cornerhouseagency.com