Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

The ongoing saga, scandal and drama surrounding Roger Clemens is a good lesson in relationship to the quality of people we hire.

There are very few that would deny that as far as talent goes, not many equaled that of Roger Clemens in baseball. But look at the black eye baseball is taking because of the steroid scandal, lawsuits, and now the latest revelation that Clemens may have been in a 10-year relationship with Mindy McCready, starting when she was 15-years-old and Clemens a 28-year-old married father of two.

I've always said that character trumps talent in business, and this is one of the reasons why we have to have it at the top of our filters when looking for great workers.

Talent can't make up for someone that can destroy and demean a company's reputation.

I'm not just talking about someone that may make a mistake in their lives here, anybody can do that. What I'm talking about is a pattern of behavior that's never dealt with, and makes a huge detrimental impact on all those having a connection with the person.

Roger Clemens doesn't live in a bubble, and neither do we. Everything he does will have some type of effect on those that have a personal or professional relationship with him.

We need to keep that in mind when making decisions about people we're looking to hire. Quality people with good character are far more valuable than those with raw talent.

This is why I continue to urge and encourage companies to have great training programs in place for their hires; then you can feel comfortable with hiring quality people, knowing you can train them for what the job requires.