3 Characteristics That Make You a Bad Candidate for Professional Development
A leader recently asked me:
What type of person is a bad candidate for a coaching or training program?
He had someone on his team who he suspected might be a bad candidate. He didn’t want to make an investment and not see it pay off.
I love this question because it also implies the opposite characteristics must be true for people that get a lot of value from growth opportunities. These are the people you want to hire and work with because they keep getting better and inspiring others to get better.
But alas, not everyone is oriented toward continuous development. In fact, three characteristics make you a bad candidate for professional development which are:
1.Performance Ego. These are people who base their self-image on their successful track record. Their unconscious goal is to continuously prove themselves more than improve themselves. They fall into what Marshall Goldsmith calls The Success Delusion: I behave this way. I am successful. Therefore, I must be successful because I behave this way. Ultimately, their ego relies on their achievements, and it won’t create room for growth.
You will know these people because they are defensive, and they rationalize or deflect feedback. They’re also often too busy to pause and improve because their busyness provides more opportunities to validate their identity.
2.External Locus of Control. People with an external locus of control tend to view life as happening to them rather than through them. They assume that most challenges are beyond their control and they complain or resign themselves to the people and circumstances surrounding them.
While much of life is beyond our control, your locus of control is how you look at the world. An external locus tends toward a passive/reactive mindset. Those with an external locus of control usually avoid growth because… what difference does it make anyway?
3.Non-Systems Thinking. Systems thinkers look for “if-then” relationships in life. (If this happens, then this typically happens.) Non-systems thinkers have more of a “just get it done” mindset. They don’t use mental maps, models, or frameworks to improve how they get it done. Instead, they resist structuring or planning their approach to challenges. They say it’s too confining or complex to conceptualize.
Non-systems thinkers tend to be skeptical of formulas or process, therefore they miss the accumulated learning of others and the predictability of outcomes. They make suboptimal choices because they aren’t pattern matching. They will say: Don’t coach me on how to do this because your technique won’t apply to my situation or my personality or my challenges. I’m unique.
Even though they’re really not that unique and others have faced similar challenges before.
Ultimately, I suspect the leader who asked me the question won’t invest in all of his team members. He shouldn’t.
Only some are worth investing in because the investment will pay off multiple times for the individual and the organization.
Everyone has the choice as to whether they are a bad candidate for professional development.
Being a bad candidate doesn’t mean they are a bad person. I just wouldn’t hire them.
Are you a good candidate?
