People & Leadership
Building your team: How to master the art of hiring top talent

- What type of background and tangible skills do we require for the job?
- What type of person will fit into our team and corporate culture?
- What if it doesn’t work out?
Will you admire this person?
Interviewers typically operate from a position of power. The winning candidate may be the one who best caters to the interviewer’s vanities. Bezos likes to flip that approach: Put your ego aside and look for someone with your strengths and more. This is a kissing cousin approach leaders often use the hire-your-replacement strategy, where you interview people who have the skills and the personality to grow into your position. Then, you hire the person who is most likely to do the job better than you can do it.I hire people brighter than me and I get out of their way.-Lee Iacocca, Ford
Will this person raise the level of effectiveness for our company?
If your business is hotly competitive, don’t settle for someone who wants to grow with your company. Pick the person who wants to make the company better.If we were not still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company.-Bill Gates, Microsoft
Where can this person shine?
In the sports world, winning organizations recruit the most talented players and then find the best situations for each player to succeed. The best business leaders embed their culture of winning into their hiring practices, too. They recruit excellent “players” and exploit their talents by putting them in the situations where each can thrive.Often the best solution to a management problem is the right person.-Edwin Booz, Booz Allen & Hamilton What are some of the key questions you ask in interviews to spot superior performers?
Reimagine your HR process
When your people perform at their best, so does your business. Download our free guide to discover how you can transform your small business workforce.
