101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems

Ingredient 24.

They Can’t Be Good at Everything

Clarify what people are supposed to be good at.

“Power of generalizing gives men so much the superiority in mistake over the dumb animals.” —George Eliot, writer

The Problem

Companies hire subject-matter experts only to find out that they aren’t good in the roles they need to play.

The Solution

Avoid the “halo effect,” which can bias your judgment of a person’s capability based on your overall impression of the person. Verify how competent people really are in the specific environments you expect them to perform in.^[61]

• Focus on strengths. Don’t give employees responsibilities they’re not comfortable ...