Why Singapore workplaces are not ready to hire 'misfits'

Who are the misfits? They are a bunch of incredibly talented individuals who are called misfits because these are the kind of people whom you would find hard-pressed to pigeon hole into any conventional job description that is currently commonplace in the market.

Some of them have made-up job titles, others simply shrug their shoulders and consider themselves freelancers or self-employed.

There are a handful who are entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial in some way. Their success range from unsuccessful to wildly successful as they take on endeavours to enrich themselves or to enrich their souls in pursuit of noble social causes.

Others belong to the so-called creative types who can write, sing, create, design, perform amazing creations.

Their work is inspiring but business executives often find themselves bamboozled by the unenviable task of having to force-fit these talented individuals into pre-defined job descriptions that would sufficiently engage them without stifling the very creative potential they were hired for.

Some of these misfits go through a period of identity crisis where they try very hard to fit in with everyone else. They might adopt a conventional cover identity of paper-pushing executive by day and bleeding heart social work volunteer, activist or artist by night.

Sometimes these two identities can cause a conflict of interest because the company, organization or department they work in might frown upon such involvement as a distraction or as a potential reputational risk for the organization to have its employees affiliated with such causes.

The big question that all Singaporean companies and companies operating in Singapore need to ask, is if they are prepared to engage, attract and collaborate with misfits in order to take their companies to the next level.

It boils back down to the question of what companies look for when they hire people.

Are they looking for cookie cutters who can be plugged in to fill an existing role so that managers and business owners can have someone else check off a list of tasks that they themselves find too bothersome, inconvenient or inefficient to be performing?

Or are they genuinely looking for partners and collaborators who share the same burning passion, ideals and visions as they do? Are they looking for individuals who are unafraid of speaking their truth, showing up 100% as who they are and what they stand for so that they can make a positive contribution towards creating value, meaning and impact through the work that they do at the company?

If business owners and leaders are genuinely looking for the kind of talent who are more misfit than cookie cutter conformist, then they seriously need to re-think the way in which they court and engage these tremendously talented bunch of misfits.

As a Singaporean Gen-Y who happens to be a misfit, I can definitely identify with the challenges of being one. It's not a phenomenon that is unique to Singapore because I have spoken to enough bleeding heart Gen-Y misfits from all around the world to know that this is a globalized issue in an increasingly complex world with new rules.

There is no one size fit all solution and companies need to start heading back to the drawing board to explore and experiment how best they can better leverage on the talents of misfits. The solution would be different for each organization and it can range from full time positions to consultant roles and regular freelance engagements.

It would be a pity if companies choose to ignore misfits because they are the epitome of what true knowledge workers and intrapreneur types are.

As individuals who are intrinsically motivated by a burning sense of passion to create change, value, meaning and impact, they are not the kind who would be simply contented with being time-watching paper-pushers who cruise through their jobs in exchange for a pay cheque and a guaranteed promotion.

Business owners and managers need to start being honest with themselves and go through a process of internal reflection to define and articulate with clarity the kind of ideals and vision that encapsulates the work that is being done in the organization along with the specific kind of value, meaning and impact their organization hopes to create through the services and products it provides.

Your company's vision is not some irrelevant tagline that sits on a page on your corporate site that no one looks at. It has to be a mantra that your organization lives by because how attractive you are as an organization depends on how congruent and authentic you are in living up to that mantra.

While it might feel as though it's so much easier to just persist with maintaining the status quo and stick with way things are being done, it might be worth noting that the days of being able to pay people enough money to stay in a lousy job is fast becoming obsolete.

The future belongs to those who are enlightened and adaptable enough in embracing the shift by finding new ways to collaborate and leverage upon the unique talents and strengths of both individuals and organizations as collaborators who share the same vision, values, beliefs and passion so that something magnificent can be co-created.

Misfits are misfits because the right fit has yet to be found. In this day and age of social connectivity, there is no better time than now to start finding the right fit.