Clever people: boon or bane?

Author Mark Johnson Published 1 October 2009

As unemployment has risen over the past year I've been wondering how many 'clever' people have lost their jobs. By 'clever' people I mean those who Goffee and Jones (2009) identify as 'highly talented individuals who have the potential to create disproportionate amounts of value from the resources that an organisation makes available to them'.

I've been thinking about clever people in particular because while they are valuable to organisations they can also be a challenge for managers. As Goffee and Jones note, clever people are difficult people because they:

• Know their worth because their skills are not common
• Ask difficult questions
• Are organisationally intelligent and aware
• Are not impressed by corporate hierarchy
• Expect instant access to decision makers
• Have networks which extend beyond their organisation
• Are passionate about what they do, not for who they work for
• Won't thank you even if you lead them well.

Organisations need clever people more than ever. They generate new products and services, they obtain information from various sources and they think outside the square. They can do the undoable and think the unthinkable. Clever people don’t just sit in isolated R&D departments; they are everywhere in business.

The challenge for managers and organisations is how to motivate and retain them. Clever people are confident in their abilities and will not hesitate to leave an organisation if they are not valued or challenged. Yet while they are highly valuable to organisations, some managers may be tempted to terminate their clever staff simply because they're too difficult to manage.

Importantly, clever people do not respond well to constrictive rules. Clever people need freedom to think, create and experiment. Challenges will improve their performance, as will accountability for their decisions. This is yet another challenge for managers: to identify their clever staff and create an environment for them to realise their potential. This benefits them, you and the organisation as a whole.

References

Goffee, R., & Jones G. 2009 The Odd Clever People Every Organization Needs http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/13/clever-employees-talent-leadership-managing-recruiting.html (accessed 10 September 2009)

London Business School 2009. Leading Clever People http://www.london.edu/facultyandresearch/news/2009/01/Leading_clever_people_916.html (accessed 11 September 2009)

Also of interest:

Harvard Business Review, 2007. Leading Clever People March 2007 http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2007/03/leading-clever-people/ar/1 (accessed 11 September 2009)

Why Should Anyone Be Lead By You? http://www.whyshouldanyonebeledbyyou.com (accessed 11 September 2009)