Letting an employee know that another is better suited for a task?

Question

This was a past situation. There was a presentation that only allowed one employee to present. Two of my employees, employees A and B, really wanted to do the presentation. Due to the time-frame and nature of the company, it was near certain that there would not be an opportunity like this again, so I couldn't say "Employee A this time, B next time". The employees were already not on great terms with each other due to personal differences outside of the workplace.

Although Employee B thought she was equally qualified, Employee A was more qualified for this task, so I would rather her do it. How could I have let Employee A do the presentation without hurting Employee B's feelings, especially given the already tense relationship between the two?

Answer 1

As a manager, it is important that you choose the best person for the job, that is more important than whether one of the employees will be unhappy. As long as you have good objective criteria for the choice, which you seem to have, then you are on sound footing.

The objective criteria is the starting point of your discussion with employee B. This can be treated like other constructive feedback scenarios. Let that employee understand what the criteria were and explain how the employee can work to improve in those areas. It is important that these not come across to the employee as failures, but rather an area to improve. No matter how good we are at our job, there is quite likely someone in our company that is better at some skill or function and we all have areas where we could improve.

Employees want to know that they are being treated fairly in these scenarios, but they also need to know that fairly is not the same as equally. If employee B can not understand and accept this objective evaluation, then you likely can't keep them from being unhappy/hurt anyway. While managers should be sensitive to how they deliver the message, the facts still need to be delivered. You won't be helping this employee if you shelter them from sometimes painful truth.

Answer 2

Just tell A "you have been selected".

Just tell B "you have not been selected". If B asks why then "I felt A would be stronger for this task". If B feels they are as good then no good could come from debating it with them.

Answer 3

Let both people do the preso and choose the best result to be used in the real competition. Make it a battle of solutions, not a selection between people.

If the real preso takes too much time, timebox drafting and compare the drafts.

Answer 4

1. You might have asked them to define how you would make the choice. Find some set of criteria which they could both agree on, suggested by them. And then you decide.

2. Offer some other "goodie". You say there won't be another exactly like this, but there will be something. A trip; the chance to be first to play with some new tech ...

3. A coin toss. Tell them that you can't decide as you think they are equally good (even though you prefer A; saying this keeps the peace), so you will have to flip a coin (and state beforehand if it's best of 1, bets of 3, etc)

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If you are not an only child, remember something your mother did with you as a sibling. For instance, to divide a chocolate bar, my mother would have one split & one choose. Perhaps one decides an alternative "goodie" as per my point 2) and the other gets to choose whether they want the goodie or to do the presentation.