I’ll never forget Jack Welch saying you have about a 50/50 chance of hiring the right person.
Surveys confirm that the majority of organizations have hired the wrong person.*
The wrong hire:
- Drains resources.
- Lowers productivity.
- Demotivates current employees.
- Distracts management.
5 steps to hire the right leader:
#1. Ask potential new leaders to make a list of the top 12 leadership qualities, behaviors, and practices.
#2. Ask candidates to use behavioral examples to define the items on their list.
#3. Ask candidates to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 for each item on their list. (1 being low. 10 being perfect.)
Be sure to have 10 represent perfect attainment. Reject candidates who give themselves a 10 on any item.
Don’t hire anyone who doesn’t need to develop.
#4. Hand candidates a prepared list of the top 12 leadership qualities, behaviors, and practices for your organization. Create your list based on the most successful leaders in your culture. Here’s an example of a list you might create:
- Candor.
- Transparency.
- Curiosity.
- Challenging the status quo.
- Affirming.
- Grit.
- Authenticity.
- Humility.
- Decisiveness.
- Optimism.
- Vulnerability.
- Outward focus.
#5. Dig deeper.
- Ask them to use behavioral examples to describe the items on your list.
- Ask them to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 using your list.
- Discuss the lists:
- What do you notice when you compare the two lists? Their list doesn’t need to match yours. The exercise is a conversation starter.
- What leadership qualities, behaviors, or practices do you most need to develop? Use their own ranking system.
- If you were to develop your leadership, what would you do next?
Open to learning has more promise than contentment with progress.
More:
There’s more to hiring the right leader. For example:
- Background checks.
- Reference checking.
- Team interviews.
- Shared meals.
- Creative interview question.
How might organizations hire the right leaders and managers?
What’s an important component to your hiring practices?
*75% have hired the wrong person based on Careerbuilder Survey.