Hiring the Right Person May Require You to Approach it Blindly

Hiring The Right Person Requires You To Eliminate Bias

When I led an organization in the public education sector the pressure to hire the right person the first time around was probably more intense than in any other industry I've been associated. Unlike other industries, sending your product back for rework was not an option.

One year with a less than great teacher can have a lifetime of negative intellectual and social consequences for a child. One year with a poor teacher can change a child’s developmental trajectory. One year with a bad teacher can negatively impact a child’s personal self-view for years to come, if not forever. One year with someone as influential as a teacher can be the boost a child needs too their self-confidence to achieve greatness or the stake in the heart that can leave them doubting their ability for a lifetime. In education, anything less than the best is unacceptable. Because of those realities and others, hiring the right person the first time around became the priority over just about everything else.

The same was true for administrators and support personnel. Every person within the system impacted children in some way or another. Be it how a bus driver greeted a child first thing in the morning, how a secretary offered a warm embrace when ill, how the “lunch lady” served up a hot lunch with a smile, or how a custodial acknowledged every child by name as they passed through the open doors to the school, every interaction mattered. Therefore, we approached administrator and support personnel hiring in much the same way we handled the hiring of teachers. Everyone within the system makes a difference and plays a very important role in the development of a child.

As diligent as we were with the hiring process, we still made an occasional mistake. Unfortunately, a hiring mistake is inevitable. The goal is to minimize hiring mistakes down to the lowest possible number. When there is a mistake, they must be owned, dealt with accordingly, and swiftly. As Jim Collins said in his wonderful book Good To Great, "When you know you need to make a people change, act".

Proficiency In The Hiring Process

While most of us in the private sector will not have the awesome responsibility that those in the education sector do, we still have a responsibility to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Public or private, our ultimately goal is to solve problems. Education’s problem is to educate the uneducated in a non-biased manner, helping children and adults to think for themselves, problem solve, and come to their own conclusions based on facts and the best information available to them at the time.

Therefore, hiring the right people is of utmost importance, especially if we want to deliver on our promise to our customer. Hiring should not happen by accident. We should never “fill” a position or hire a “warm body” until we find the right person. One bad hire can destroy organizational culture, destroy the customer experience, and harm those we serve in ways we cannot imagine. Every interaction matters. Every short response, rolling of eyes, bad energy, or poor presentation sends a message. The same is true for the positive. Smiles, good energy, and strong presentations make an impact. Chik-fil-a, The Ritz, Disney, and Starbucks didn’t get where they are by accident. It was vision, leadership, and the right people that made them iconic brands.

To achieve greatness, which should be every person’s and organization’s goal, the hiring process should be a formalized one that is built on the fundamentals of a good talent selection process. Due diligence is the key to a strong hiring process. Just as proficiency is sought in the candidate, those responsible for hiring should demonstrate the same level of proficiency and, at a minimum, include the following:

1. Job Knowledge - Know the job, what it entails, the characteristics and personal behaviors of the best performers in that job, and the indicators of success. Gather input from those who know the job best and don't rely on a job description. Trying to match a potential new hire to a job description is usually a terrible way to find the right person for the job.

2. Team Effort- Find people to serve on a hiring team who know the job from all angles. Then, have them develop questions that will get down to the heart of it all, which is to uncover evidence that the candidate has what is needed to succeed in the job.

3. Job Posting - Make sure the posting for the job clearly communicates how the job contributes to the organization's mission, how the person in that job is expected to contribute, the indicators of success a year down the road, and the characteristics that are necessary from the person who will be the best fit for the job.

4. Deep Dive - A resume is a summary of experience and education. That is great to know, but it really comes down to what they have done and what they can do. When combing through resumes look for evidence of proficiency in work and in life. Remember, experience is a key that unlocks the door to an interview. It is not an indicator of success. As with educators, 30 years of experience can really mean one year of experience 30 times. That does not represent excellence or growth.

5. Demonstrated Proficiency - During the interview ask questions that get down to what the candidate has been able to do in their current and previous roles, as well as in life. Look for indicators of self-motivation and continuous growth and development. Look for character traits that are necessary for success. Remember, you can teach technical skills, but as Jim Collins also shared, "You can't teach a farmer work ethic to people who don't already have it in the first place". The same is also true for other personal characteristics. As I have learned over the years, these factors can be more important than experience and education combined.

6. Look Outside the Industry - Don't make the mistake of only looking at candidates who are in the space you need to fill. Look outside your sector for high potential candidates. The best organizations make it a habit of looking for people who possess the characteristics necessary for success in a job, which do not necessarily include having experience in the same job or industry. Farmers make for great steel workers and military veterans are outstanding at achieving the organization's mission, no matter what industry. The best hires are often people with no industry specific experience.

Think Outside the Box

My time in the education sector taught me a lot of things. One was how to look for a person who was the right fit. I also learned the importance of recognizing a hiring mistake and acting quickly to resolve it. The awesome responsibility of hiring the right person to develop a child made me more aware of the importance of a strong hiring process.

Don't let yourself be boxed in by believing that you must stay within your industry and don't be boxed in by biased thinking about age, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Depending on the position to be filled, those factors may have little to no relevance.

If you think you or your team is biased, which we all are in some way, try the approach used on the television show The Voice, and make the first round a blind audition. Blind auditions matter and can lead to a better decision overall. Don’t believe me? Listen to a song by Susan Boyle before watching her Britain’s Got Talent episode from 2009. There is a reason the video has been viewed by millions and millions of people.

Your ultimate responsibility is to hire the right person for the job at hand. Remember, it's who they are and what they can do that matters most. Susan Boyle taught the world that lesson over a decade ago and it continues to be taught every day.

Randy Stepp is a Principal with Renaissance Leadership Group. RLG is a full-service medical aesthetics practice and business development firm committed to helping owners achieve long-lasting success and sustainability.

Visit Renaissance Leadership Group at www.renaissanceleadershipgroup.com to learn more.