Take Another Look At Misfit Employees

My all-time favorite Christmas story is Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer  I first heard the song sung by Gene Autry on my mom's "hillybilly" radio station  The story airing on TV, narrated by Burl Ives playing the part of Sam, the talking snowman is one I still watch every year to this day.

The characters I identify with most, are the Misfits.  Rudolf, the reindeer and Hermie, the elf are both told they don't fit in because they have skills and abilities that are a little different than their co-wrkers.  Rudolf's nose glows and is seen as a distraction to the other reindeer.  Hermie has skills as a dentist and since most people don't know what a dentist is, the Head Elf says "we don't need any chewing dolls."  Both Rudolf and Hermie leave their employer and strike out on their own trying to find a place where they do fit in.  They make their way to the Island of Misfit Toys, where they find out that even among misfits, they are misfits.

In the end, they return to the North Pole and Rudolf's special ability keeps Santa's deliveries on track during a blizzard.  At the same time, the Head Elf realizes that innovation in toy making such as "chewing dolls" is a valuable commodity.

Are you overlooking the special skills and abilities your "misfit" employees have that could save your company during an emergency situation or bring new innovation to your operation?  Are some of your employee's laughing and calling misfit employees names and causing them to strike out on their own - taking their special skills and abilities with them?  We can never know when we might need an employee's special skills or abilities, but in this day and age of faster than the speed of light change, if we found ourselves in need of a miracle, wouldn't you want to know who to call on within your organization?

In 2011, vow to take a closer look at each employee by identifying their strengths and weaknesses through a performance management review - with the goal of discovering the unique skills and abilities of your "misfit" employees.  You just might go down in history!