Harvard Business Review Leadership Library: The Executive Collection (12 Books)

CHAPTER EIGHT

How to Appraise Your Organization’s Capabilities and Disabilities

When managers assign employees to tackle a critical innovation, they instinctively work to match the requirements of the job with the capabilities of the individuals whom they charge to do it. In evaluating whether an employee is capable of successfully executing a job, managers will assess whether he or she has the requisite knowledge, judgment, skill, perspective, and energy. Managers will also assess the employee’s values—the criteria by which he or she tends to decide what should and shouldn’t be done. Indeed, the hallmark of a great manager is the ability to ...