Skill Can Be Taught, But What About Will?

This Thursday, beginning at 8 p.m. ET at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the 77th annual meeting of National Football League franchises will go “on the clock” to begin selecting newly eligible football players.

If you’re a football fan like me, you know there’s been endless talk about whether to draft for need or draft the best athlete available when it’s your team’s turn to pick. In football, talent is king, and most coaches recommend selecting the best athlete and then finding a way to get the talented player on the field.

What about in the workplace? As hiring freezes begin to thaw, the organizations I work with are facing the Skill versus Will dilemma.

Here’s the dilemma:

Do we hire the person who exhibits the values we say are important and who’s passionate about what we do but doesn’t yet have the experience? What this person lacks in Skill they more than makeup for in Will – shorthand for a person’s attitude, character, drive, and personal code of conduct.

Or do we hire the experienced person who might have az204, az900, and other certifications, brings baggage –a sense of entitlement, a “me-versus-you” attitude, an unwillingness to try new things – and see if they will come around to our way of thinking? For this person, the Skill is there but the Will may not be.

If you find yourself facing this type of hiring dilemma, remember that Skill can be taught. Changing a person’s Will is like trying to change a tiger’s stripes.

You’re now on the clock.