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Mediocre 'passenger' employees are the most harmful because they survive too long

Frank Slootman · Frank Slootman: Doing Less, Doing Better · Aug 8, 2023 · at 48:27

Frank Slootman outlines his talent management philosophy on why companies must set uncompromising performance bars rather than tolerating mediocrity.

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“Some people are, you know, not good enough to keep, not bad enough to fire, you know, those are the worst cases because like, well, you know, person looks nice, speaks, speaks well, articulate, you know, but they're the ultimate passenger. They never move a dial, right? And, you know, those are the ones that always survive, you know, way too long”

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