When it comes to hiring, Leadership Expert and President of LearnToLead, Dave Anderson, says the strongest people already arrive with most of what matters.
Anderson joins the latest episode of Lessons in Leadership to break down the fourth commandment in his “15 Commandments for Organizational Peak Performance,” which he attributes to his mentor, the late Jim Rohn, “Don’t send ducks to Eagle School.”
According to Anderson, five traits decide whether a candidate is worth the investment:
- Character
- Attitude
- Drive
- Energy
- Talent
Anderson calls these innate qualities, something people either have or don’t. No amount of management can turn a candidate into someone they are not, he says. That puts the weight on the interview. Anderson urges managers to measure candidates against those five areas before making an offer.
"If you hire a two and you managed to make them twice as good as they were, you still only have a four. On a scale of one to 10, that's a long way from excellence."
He warns that desperation works against good hiring. As the pressure to fill a seat rises, standards fall, and dealers lower the bar just to gain coverage. The result is a roster of low performers. Even if a manager doubles their ability, Anderson notes, twice a little is still a long way from excellence.
Nevertheless, Anderson’s advice is to slow down at the front end and act quickly when a hire proves to be the wrong fit.
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