A few years ago I inherited an employee that no one seemed to want. “Sheila” had bounced around from department to department. She never seemed to fit in and become productive. The CEO told me to terminate her. She just was not a good match for this small business. I asked if I could just have one more chance to get her up and running.  He shook his head and said, “Good luck.”

So, under my wing came Sheila. Her confidence was shaken. But, her attitude was hopeful and so was mine. Her productivity was low at first due to the learning curve but she soon became a strong contributor. As her confidence grew, Sheila began taking initiative. She even volunteered to lead a huge contract renewal project that no one else was willing to tackle.

Several years have passed. I have moved on from my position at this company. Sheila?  She is still working hard and making a positive impact on the organization’s success.

The moral of this story is that success is complicated. It is easy to place blame and point fingers. Sometimes it is no one’s fault. It is simply a matter of chemistry. 

While we are all replaceable, sometimes it turns out remarkably well to simply change a few ingredients rather than start over from scratch.