Quick to Succeed Syndrome, and why it can be a problem

Quick to Succeed Syndrome (let's call it QSS) doesn't sound like such a bad thing. In fact, it's what most recruitment leaders (myself included) regularly say that they want. "If I could just get in some grads, train them up, and have them hit the ground running straight away..." And, of course, many do.

So why would it be a problem if your new hires are really good at their jobs straight away? Surely that's better than them being slow to learn, and terrible at their jobs?

Well, yes. But being quick to succeed can also present its own set of challenges, which managers need to be aware of in order to offset the effects.

Smashing targets straight away can give a new recruiter a false sense of confidence. They should be rightly rewarded for doing well but, as a manager, make sure you are not letting things slip through the cracks in your excitement at how well the new person has 'got it'.

I've made this mistake before and, unfortunately, it's a mistake I've made more than once. A poor performer gets lots of attention and coaching, and you focus on all the little things they are doing (or not doing). A great performer gets left alone, as they 'know what they're doing'. But often they don't. And often it comes back to bite you (and them) when their winning streak takes a nosedive, and you're both baffled as to how that happened. A closer examination often reveals that they were making rookie mistakes that weren't picked up because no one was watching closely enough. When they actually ARE a rookie, rookie mistakes should be expected, and newbies should never be abandoned because they appear to have worked everything out themselves.

It would be nice if people put their hands up for help if they felt they were getting out of their depth, but this doesn't always happen. In particular, a new employee who is getting lots of praise and attention for doing well may feel under pressure to maintain that status, and therefore won't want to draw attention to the fact that they don't know it all by asking for help.

Other than staying quiet and not asking for help when they need it, someone with QSS may actively reject input from managers. Successful recruiters can earn a lot of money very quickly - more than is possible in most graduate careers - and they will probably also be on the receiving end of a lot of attention. A top performer very quickly becomes a star in their company. It can sometimes then be the case that the new star feels that they know it all, and that their managers or colleagues are out of touch, or less talented than themselves.

A manager who handles this poorly may feel reluctant to interfere too much with the 'winning formula' that this star has developed, and will leave them to it. Colleagues may feel reluctant to offer advice if they feel that the new person IS actually better than they are. This helps develop the myth of the 'untouchable', who may be let off doing certain things, or allowed to work in a different way from others within the company, simply because they are being successful and no one wants to tamper with that.

But then what happens when the newly formed bigshot fails to deliver? Do you THEN implement training and adherence to company practice? And is it too late? If the bigshot has got away with it for a while, then they probably won't want to start following procedure properly when they never had to before. And what of the effect on company culture? Other staff will inevitably resent the fact that the newbie doesn't have to do things that they have to do. You may find that you end up losing some of your more longstanding staff in the process.

So far the biggest effects discussed have been on the company, but what of the effect on the individual suffering from QSS?

They've gone from being a superstar who knows it all, to underperforming and lacking the knowledge or support to work out how to turn it around. Their colleagues may already be irritated with them, and their manager has been a bit AWOL. They've also gone from earning a crazy salary to earning not very much at all. It's a big ego blow, and they may feel that recruitment is not the career for them or, at least, that your company is not one that will support them.

And the frustrating part is that they can probably do the job really well! People aren't usually quick to succeed out of a random turn of luck. They usually have some great skills and natural aptitude that will make them fantastic recruiters - given the right support system, leadership, and environment.

I would also note that being quick to succeed is no bad thing. Here, I have termed the quick to succeed syndrome as the situation where management and the new consultant don't work well together to nurture a continuation of that success. A newbie who is quick to succeed and wants to learn, and a management team which supports that newbie and keeps them learning are a great combination!

So, in short, what can you do to make sure your new star doesn't develop QSS? Stay close to them, find out what they're doing, and help them develop their skills further. Make sure they adhere to the same practices that other members of staff have to, but also listen to them and take on board any ideas or advice they may have. (Maybe your old procedures are holding other staff back too, and maybe everyone should drop them?) Don't idolise them. Reward them, and praise them, but remember that they are still new. Don't forget your longer standing staff, or make them feel that you no longer care about them.

In the right environment, your new star could become an integral part of your company. Make sure you nurture talent, rather than spending all your time on more difficult employees.