Idiot-proof your tools for your geniuses, not your dolts

I'd like to suggest a little contrarian thinking about tools and frameworks. Often many of your high performers bristle at them. Why? "I can't be productive when I have to jump through these hoops for every little thing!" Don't listen to them, but you need to listen to them. Don't let your stars discard or recreate your framework. But take their criticisms seriously and address them. Every framework serves a purpose of "idiot-proofing" in that it keeps your junior or weaker staff from doing too much damage. This also can make them more productive in that they don't have to make judgment calls, or spend the time researching issues to make those calls, as often. Your stars don't shrink from those decisions, and may be insulted by your taking those decisions away. So don't! Put your geniuses' knowledge and savvy into the "idiot-proofing." Let them optimize their own productivity through your frameworks and tools. Let them turn the framework from a 20% loss in their productivity into a 5% increase. Increasing their productivity benefits you more than improving the "idiots'." But what about those "idiots"? Are we throwing them away, or pretending they aren't needed? Not at all! The framework may be tough for them, but it will improve them. Let your geniuses train your "idiots" through the framework. It's a win all around. Your geniuses thrive, the others grow, and your whole project gets improved cohesion and consistency. All from idiot-proofing for your geniuses. Give it a try!