The Case of the Overbearing Leader
As the Director of Student Orientation, you are responsible for welcoming all 3,000 new students to your campus every fall . It's a pretty large undertaking, and would never be possible without the help of the Orientation Leadership Team . This team is made up of a Steering Committee of 15 students, and another 150 New Student Mentors who each oversee a small group of about 20 new students . Because you receive over 300 applicants every year for the Student Mentor position, you need to do two rounds of hiring . The first round is meant to trim the group to around 200 leaders; the second round finishes the process and gets you to the final 150 Mentors .
This year, Saja, the son of a close family friend, is applying to be a Mentor . After the first round of interviews, it becomes apparent to everyone on the Steering Committee that Saja is a bad fit for the job . He comes across as overly opinionated, slow to hear other people's ideas, and everyone has doubts that he would help to make new students feel welcome in the fall . His parents have always raised him to have an opinion and share it and his driven personality will serve him well when he becomes a lawyer . However, everyone agrees that he needs to become a bit more well-rounded before he's ready to serve as a mentor for new students, and they all agree that there are other leadership opportunities that could be a better fit for his personality and skill set .
They want to cut him after the first round of interviews, but you keep thinking about his parents . They're your close friends and you're already dreading the conversation with them about why he wasn't hired . That conversation will be much harder if you need to explain why he wasn't even good enough to make it to the second round of interviews . You've never had a solid line of 200 moving on and have let marginal candidates though to the second round in the past . It wouldn't be too difficult to let Saja go on to the next round of interviews before cutting him and telling him he needs another year to grow . However, none of the Steering Committee will agree with you, so it would need to be an executive decision that you ask them to accept .
> Would you let Saja move on to the second round of interviews?
No I would not. If the majority feels that he isn't well fit for the mentoring jobs, then he shouldn't go on to the next round. Like the others said, there are better jobs that would fit his personality, but this isn't the right one. Of course it would be hard to tell his parents that he didn't make it, but grow a pair and tell them, that's life. This country is a democracy. Don't waste that position for someone else who really deserves it and wants it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that he should go to the next round because the majority didn't feel that he is right for the mentoring jobs. He has all other options in the world he shouldn't be stuck on just this one. I agree with Cami about stepping up and telling them, it's not the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't let Saja move on if he isn't ready for the job then he doesn't deserve to move on. Yes, it would be hard being friends with his parents but I would talk to his parents about why he isn't moving on and then they could help him to improve and change so he could have a better chance next year.
ReplyDeleteI would not let him move on to the next round of interviews. Nobody else thinks that he is a good fit so he shouldn't be able to move on. Even if you are close with his parents if you can't tell that he wasn't good enough then maybe you need to grow as well. You need to be a leader and pick people that are actually going to do things and help the people out don't just pick them because you know their family.
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't. If EVERYONE, even I, think he isn't good for the job, there's no point wasting everybody's time. Saja doesn't deserve to be lead on if I already know he isn't going to make it. I'd hope Saja's parents would understand. If they wouldn't understand, it wouldn't really be my problem, because I'd already have the best group of people of employed without him, or their opinions.
ReplyDeleteShe is very bad at the job and does not need to go to her second thing of interviews I would tell him to take a hike but hes your friend and he will hoply will be fine and leave and they will be friends because he does not work to do good and apply himself to the job instead of having a good work ethic
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't let him move on to the next round. If I, and the majority of the committee, feel that he is not a good candidate I would cut him as soon as we knew. There's no sense in dragging the process out if you know for sure you're going to get rid of him. Some people just don't fit for some things, and that's life. You get over it and move on to something different.
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