Lifeboat

Imagine you are the leader of a team of 15 people. You are told the company needs to make cuts and that you only get to take 5 people forward with you. Your team will still be responsible for doing everything they do now. There will just be less of them to do it. Who would you select from your team?

Raft

Oh, wait. You get to take 7.  No, make that 10.

This is called the Lifeboat exercise. And I’ve done it. Numerous times. Sometimes it was theoretical; a way to rank the people on the team. Other times, sadly, it was not and I had to let people go.

The value of the lifeboat exercise is that it forces you to think about what individuals bring to the team in a different way. So many times when hiring people we get caught up in looking for individuals who have done specific tasks in specific environments, both of which closely match what they would be doing in the position we are seeking to fill. The lifeboat exercise points out how flawed this approach is.

When you have fewer people to do a job, you need people who are adaptable and who can learn new skills quickly. You need people who demonstrate the appropriate attitude and aptitude.

Specific skills can be taught. People with the right attitude and aptitude can learn specific skills quickly.

On the other hand, I’ve always found attitude and aptitude to be much more difficult to teach.

Sure, raw skills are helpful for the task that currently needs to be done. But, what about next week, six months from now, or next year?

Prepare for growth and change. Focus on attitude and aptitude. Train for everything else.