Being an employer, who would you prefer paying more? An employee who gets the job done? Or the person who has fancy degrees but limited on-job skills?

Personally, I would definitely favor the person who gets the job done, manages to keep the client happy and opens up avenues for more repeat business.

An approximate of 107 Lakh Arts students, 42 Lakh Engineers, 6 Lakh MBAs, and 9.8 Lakh doctors pass out every year in India. Clearly, we have a surplus of “eligible” degree-holders. Potential employees, we might say. The point remains, only about 22% of these are truly employable. People who could work and survive in a team understand the business objective of a certain product and services, people who are approachable and available.

Too Pricey? Too Proud? To Unapproachable? 

I wouldn’t favor an employee who might be technically brilliant but acts too pricey and proud.  Fellow colleagues might feel intimidated to seek help from such people. This hampers the overall team synergy.

I also wouldn’t prefer an employee who is technically top-notch but has no interest in the business objective. In a typical service industry, the client pays for building a product that benefits their business. So a person with limited understanding of that business is a misfit, irrespective of his technical acumen.

Imagine, you hired some specialists to build a 3 storied house with certain specifications. The team of highly qualified experts eventually constructed a state-of-the-art Igloo. Clearly, they paid no heed to your business objectives and goals. Rather they tried to justify the Igloo with superbly technical arguments making every attempt to baffle you with their knowledge. So you spent top dollars, got yourself an Igloo that serves no feasible purposes. And you still don’t have your 3 storied house.

Team dynamics plays a crucial role in successful project delivery. The ease with which team members interact with each other, share information, exchange ideas and collectively work towards a common goal, makes all the difference.

What’s your opinion?