The Basic Principles of Picking People

1. If I put a person into a job and he or she does not perform, I have made a mistake. I have no business blaming that person, no business invoking the "Peter Principle", no business complaining. I have made a mistake.
   
2. The soldier has a right to competent command, was already an old maxim at the time of Julius Caesar. It is the duty of managers to make sure that the responsible people in their organizations perform.
   
3. Of all the decisions an executive makes, none is as important as the decisions about people because they determine the performance capacity of the organization. Therefore, I'd better make these decisions well.
4. The one "don't": Don't give new people major assignments, for doing so only compounds the risks. Give this sort of assignment to someone whose behavior and habits you know and who has earned trust and credibility within your organization. Put a high-level newcomer first into an established position where the expectations are known and help is available.

The Essential Drucker
Peter F. Drucker
Collins Business