I am a manager and I have two subordinates who are competing for a promotion. Candidate A is very hardworking but not so smart. Candidate B is brilliant but not so hardworking. I have a dilemma as to whom to give the promotion. What do you suggest?
Michael
Dear Michael, I think it all depends on what kind of job they are competing for. What trait is more important for the job?
For example, if the position is a sales job where you need someone who is very hardworking but doesn’t have to be brilliant, then I think you should give it to candidate A. I have yet to meet a successful salesperson who is not hardworking. There are many who are not necessarily brilliant, but their ethic for hard work can more than make up for whatever deficiency they might have.
However, if the job is for something like corporate planning where brilliance is more important because they will be making recommendations to you about corporate direction, then give it to candidate B. In this kind of job, I think the quality of the person’s ideas are more important than sheer quantity. A few brilliant ideas will do you much more good than a lot of mediocre suggestions.
Sincerely,
Nanay
Dear Nanay,
I have a yaya who has received an offer for a job in Hong Kong. However, she has to pay an agency fee and she is borrowing money from me. I don’t want to give her the money because I feel like I will be encouraging her to go abroad, leaving me in a very difficult situation without a trusted yaya. At the same time, I cannot blame her for wanting to go because the pay rate will be higher in Hong Kong. What should I do?
Ronnie
Dear Ronnie, My suggestion is to offer her a raise.
If you really want to keep her, think about what you can afford and what you are willing to pay to keep her around. For example, are you willing to give her a 20-percent increase? A 50-percent increase? Are you willing to double her salary just to keep her? If you think she deserves it and you can afford it, then by all means, offer it to her.
Wanting to work abroad is usually brought about by higher pay and not for the sake of going abroad. If you ask most people, they would rather stay here in the Philippines except that the offer abroad is too good to refuse. So if you can offer a little more money, maybe she will stay with you. I am not saying you have to pay as much as she would make in Hong Kong, but you might have to close the gap a little. Kasi kung kaunti na lang yung diperensya, siyempre iba pa rin yung nandito sa Pilipinas. (Because if the difference is small, of course staying in the Philippines is better.)
If she still chooses to go to Hong Kong in spite of the increase  whether because the pay is too big to pass up or because she just wants to experience what it is like to work abroad  then I think you will unfortunately have to let her go.
Sincerely,
Nanay
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