Original Cheetos, to me, makes for an underwhelming snack. Something about the corn puff texture combined with a heaping of cheddar powder just resembles too much of a flavored packing peanut for my tastebuds.
Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos on the other hand?
I can finish a bag of those bad boys in one sitting. They’re spicy, exciting and packed full of flavor—everything you want in a good snack.
Now, I’m not here to compare your employees to cheetos, but hear me out.
Imagine you’re hiring for a position: you’ve interviewed a few candidates, and every one of them has had a glaring issue when being considered to fill the position. At the bottom of your talent pool is a final candidate for you to interview. The candidate comes in and you find nothing particularly wrong with them during the interview, but there’s also no spark. Don’t get me wrong—they can do the job up to the standards it needs to be performed at, they meet cultural and motivational fit well enough…but there’s just not that spark.
What do you do?
Inexperience says to pass on them. Surely there’s someone better out there, and it feels wrong in your gut to hire someone without that spark. But, experience and logic knows better.
While it’s easy to idolize the package plus edition of candidates, sometimes all you need is a candidate that is the sufficient package. Just like not every Cheeto can be a Cheddar Jalapeno Cheeto, not every candidate should or could be the perfect fit with the addition of being a lofty candidate looking towards making big waves. Some candidates just need to be able to get the job done.
We so often underestimate the power of someone who is able to join a team and really put their axe to the stone. They may not be the most thrilling candidate or have the biggest future on your team, but they’re going to do the jobs that others on the team don’t have time to do and they’re going to do it well. Maybe they aren’t going to create big change, but they’re going to allow for the creation of big changes due to their diligence of other more “in the weeds” tasks. And that is no small role.
Daily grind work is what makes the world go ’round, and it’s important for you as a leader to recognize when that talent is needed on your team. Just like Original Cheetos get the job done by being a universal snack that maybe isn’t exciting but can multipurposed, your employees who are doing the everyday tasks that make your bigger ideas come to life are an integral flavor. The next time you’re hiring, consider whether you need that exciting employee, or if the gets-it-done candidate is what you really need to fill your role.