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Who

Geoff Smart and Randy Street

Duration22 min
Key Points9 Key Points
Rating5 Rate

What's inside?

Discover a proven method for hiring the right people for your business, ensuring a successful and productive team.

You'll learn

Learn1. Why picking the right team matters
Learn2. Your guide to hiring the best
Learn3. Mastering the art of interviews
Learn4. Tips for sizing up potential hires
Learn5. How to reel in top-notch talent
Learn6. Dodging common hiring blunders

Key points

01Making smart hiring choices can boost your business

In the world of business, it's often said that people are a company's greatest asset. This idea is at the heart of a concept that argues the "who" in your business - the folks you bring on board to make decisions and get things done - is more important than the "what" - the strategies, products, and services your business offers. Imagine your business as a ship, sailing towards its goals. The "what" is the ship itself, the path it's taking, and how fast it's going. But even the best ship, with the most carefully plotted course, won't get far if the crew (the "who") isn't up to snuff. They're the ones steering, keeping things running smoothly, and making key decisions along the way. So, it's clear that getting the right people on your team is key to your business's success. This idea isn't just a theory. It's backed up by extensive research, including chats with over twenty self-made business billionaires. This research revealed four common pitfalls in the hiring process: 1. Not being clear on what the job needs: If you don't know what skills, experience, and traits are needed for a role, you're likely to end up with the wrong person. 2. Not having enough options: If your candidate pool is too small, you might have to settle for someone who isn't quite right for the job. 3. Struggling to pick out the best candidate: If you can't tell the difference between similar candidates, you might miss out on the best person for the job. 4. Letting the right candidates slip away: If you can't convince the right people to join your team, they'll end up with your competitors. The good news is, these "who" mistakes can be avoided. And doing so can make a big difference to your business's performance. In fact, it's estimated that the average hiring mistake costs 15 times an employee's base salary in hard costs and lost productivity. That means a single bad hire for a $100,000 role could cost your company $1.5 million. Multiply that by ten mistakes a year, and you're looking at a whopping $15 million down the drain. So, the takeaway is clear: focusing on the "who" rather than the "what" can help your business perform better, boost profits, and avoid costly hiring blunders. It's all about getting the right people on your team.

02Hiring isn't magic, it's a skill you can learn

Let's get one thing straight - hiring the right person for the job isn't some kind of mystical, magical process. It's not voodoo. It's a methodical, systematic process that can be mastered with the right approach. In the business world, getting the right person in the right seat can make or break a company. We've all heard the horror stories - the CEO who drove a billion-dollar company into the ground, or the district manager who let their region fall behind because of poor leadership. These are often the result of bad hiring decisions, where the wrong person was put in a critical role. One of the biggest challenges in hiring is that it takes time - a lot of it. And time is something that busy managers don't have a lot of. This is especially true when hiring from outside the company, as it requires a deep dive into a candidate's skills, experience, and fit with the company culture. The traditional hiring process, which often leans heavily on resumes, is full of pitfalls. As one CEO put it after a hiring blunder, “Look, I hired your resume. But unfortunately, what I got was you!” So, what's the solution? The A Method for Hiring. This method offers a systematic approach to hiring that lets managers focus on the individual candidates without losing sight of the company's goals and values. But it does require breaking some bad hiring habits, like relying too much on resumes or rushing through the hiring process. Even the most talented executives often struggle with hiring. As management expert Steve Kerr explains, “Otherwise smart people struggle to hire strangers. People unfamiliar with great hiring methods consider the process a mysterious black art.” This is what we call "voodoo hiring" - a misguided approach to hiring that treats it as a mysterious process rather than a systematic one. The importance of hiring the right people can't be overstated. As The Economist reported in a 2006 cover story titled "The Search for Talent," finding the right people is the single biggest problem in business today. But don't worry, there's a roadmap for overcoming this challenge. It's all about demystifying the hiring process and providing practical tools and techniques for finding the right person for any position.

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03Avoid hiring based on gut feelings - it often leads to mistakes

04Ditch unstructured interviews and focus on a candidate's skills and fit

05Top performers have certain qualities - learn how to spot and nurture them

06Look for problem-solvers and leaders when hiring

07Use multiple interviews to really get to know a candidate

08Sell your company to the candidate to seal the deal

09Conclusion

About Geoff Smart and Randy Street

Geoff Smart and Randy Street are renowned management consultants and co-founders of ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm. They specialize in CEO and executive leadership coaching, and are known for their expertise in hiring practices and talent management.

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