Inventive Management For Quirky Employees

Some of the best employees are a bit un-traditional, in the sense that some of the smartest employees might also be some of the strangest. A recent article from Harvard Business Review.com‘s Jeff Stibel gives a little advice on how to manage these employees.

An employee may be highly skilled in solving mind-boggling problems but can’t figure out how to make toast. Sometimes being a genius means lacking in common knowledge areas – and that can become disruptive to the work environment. How can you lead these employees to being environmentally aware and not degrade their intelligence? Creativity is important but cohesion is key.

Employees with an entrepreneurial spirit are great assets to the company, as they are solo problem solvers. However, teamwork is also a very important part of the overall success of the organization. How can you combine these two attributes to create successful situations for everyone? With the stranger segment of your employee pool, there are positive attributes hidden behind the seemingly negative characteristics. How can you manage these entrepreneurs and innovators?

1. Identify your internal entrepreneurs: To find the internal entrepreneurs in your company, look for the people who often ask, “why are we doing it this way?”

2. Recognize that an internal entrepreneur’s limitations may be the same source of his or her talents, and be mindful not to stifle these qualities.

3. Be sure to organize your teams in such a way that you foster innovation across teams with multiple skill sets: Afford the most creative individuals enough independence for innovation but then move the project forward with individuals who are prone to concerted action.

4. If you have some really exceptional people, make sure to keep a few extra toasters in the company kitchen.

There are many things quirky employees can offer to the organization. Sometimes their pitfalls aren’t enough to take them out of the ring of highly motivated and productive employees. To read more about how to properly manage your quirky employees, click here to read the full article.

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