Can you imagine anyone playing Rocky besides Sylvester Stallone? Neither can I. Marlon Brando is “The Godfather.” He was a success in many movies, but his role in “The Godfather” was a perfect fit. When you get the right person in the right role, you significantly increase the possibility of creating something special.

Managers are comfortable evaluating technical skills, but I’ve observed that they often lack the skills to determine if a candidate is a good fit. Three months later after hiring the “best” candidate, they’re in my office admitting they made a bad hiring decision.

How can we fix this employee’s attitude?

Are you serious?

Let’s get real and acknowledge that we can’t fix everyone with a bad attitude. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to create a positive culture, but we’re running a business and our highest priorities are quality, productivity and profits. So, why care at all about attitude?

The Harvard Business Review raised the question is it better to be a “nice” leader or tough as nails to inspire respect and hard work? The article suggests it is clear we’re going to have to start valuing kindness at work. Gallup’s 2013 Workplace Poll showed that employee engagement is valued above all other elements of the employer’s benefit package. This same survey suggests employees prefer happiness to high pay.

If your career goals include the possibility of entering the management ranks, you may need to seriously consider if you’re well suited for this role. If your primary motivation is to acquire more status, power and control, this may not be the best motivation. Creating more engagement with employees means listening to employees. Employees want to be seen, heard and they want to know their work matters. This kind of relationship with employees requires exceptional interpersonal skills, not technical competence.

When I worked for Occidental Petroleum, I was recruiting logistics engineers, and I asked the director if today’s candidate was technically competent. His response was, “I don’t know.” At first I was shocked by his answer, but then he explained that his job was to manage the budget, work schedule and hire great employees. He explained his engineers have the knowledge to determine if the candidate has the technical expertise to do the job. His job was to hire people who will complement existing team members and fit into the group. The director helped me understand that the most important responsibility of being in management is the ability to select the right people. It’s also important to note that just because a person performed a particular skill in the past, it doesn’t mean that it was done well!

If you’re an hourly employee and you plan on applying for an entry-level management position, how will you convince your potential employer that you are a good fit for the job? A good place to start is to explain that you understand the skills required to be successful as a supervisor. Have you taken a course or read a book that will help you be prepared for these new responsibilities? Have you done anything as a volunteer that demonstrates you have the interest and ability to be a leader? Better than telling is to show them what you have already done that will help you be successful in your new role.

Some people are great technicians, but that experience does not necessarily make them great candidates for management. There are many great carpenters and electricians who are not well suited to manage the construction business. We all know an excellent teacher who is great in the classroom, but does not have all the attributes to be successful as an administrator. Being a successful actor does not mean you will succeed as a director or producer in the film industry.

Climbing the management ladder is often viewed as a good career move for all the wrong reasons. The skills required to be effective in management are very different from those that made you successful as an individual contributor.

Choose carefully and be honest with yourself before you apply for that promotion. Remember, a great actor in the wrong role can be a disaster.

Bill Kaminski is president of Stone Associates Training. He is an HR consultant with 35 years of experience in the employment field, teaching managers the art of hiring great employees. Bill is also an adjunct instructor at Keuka College. You can contact Bill with questions, suggestions or comments at www.bill@stoneassociatestraining.com.