Top 5 Favorite Tips from "How to Hire A-Players"

“If your team is one Great Dane surrounded by Chihuahuas, your ‘big dog’ is at risk.”

That was one of the vivid, concrete points that really jumped out at me in Eric Herrenkohl’s new book, “How to Hire A –Players.” It’s hard to argue with the premise that our organizations would be more effective if we staffed them fully with A-Players, but Herrenkohl goes beyond the motherhood-and-apple-pie maxims, making strong arguments to change the way we approach hiring and offers specific tactics on how to actually build a team of solid A-Players.

The following are my top 5 favorite ah-ha’s from this practical guide:

1. “IF YOU DON’T KEEP HIRING A-PLAYERS, THE ONES YOU ALREADY HAVE MAY START TO LEAVE.” The opening quote at the top of this post comes from that section. Of course, I want all A-players on my team, but I never considered the full impact C-players can have on creating an environment that does not foster and support the continual growth needed for A-players. In a very real sense, A+C+C+C=F. (pages 11-12)
2. “STAY IN TOUCH WITH EVERY A-PLAYER YOU MEET.” Timing is critical. Either you may not have the right opportunity available, or the A-player may not be ready to make a move. Keep in contact and build the relationship, so that when the timing is right, you’re both ready to make the move. Not to mention, you’ll learn a lot from ongoing connections with A-players. (pages 47-48)
3. “STAY AT NETWORKING EVENTS UNTIL THE BITTER END.” The same is true with meetings and workshops, the best dialogues happen towards the end or even after the official ending time. My career has been helped many times by being at the right place at the right time, and I did that by lingering after events. It’s a great way to learn a little more. (pages 85-86)
4. “TAKE THE PROFESSOR, NOT THE CLASS.” Herrenkohl uses this statement to set up his point, “hire the recruiter, not the firm.” I like the professor statement because it has larger appeal beyond hiring A-players. In selecting business partners, if you are looking for long-term continuity, you may want to focus not relying on one person, but for short-term projects, go with the person who will be running the project instead of focusing on the biggest and best firm. (page 146)
5. “INTERVIEW CANDIDATES, DON’T EDUCATE THEM.” This was a big mistake for me early on. I was always selling the job to the candidate (I still catch myself at times). It’s their job to sell us, and it’s our job to get them to open up and elaborate on the details of their previous experiences to determine strengths and weaknesses. (pages 159-160)

The next post will be an interview with the Herrenkohl and a chance for you win an autographed copy of the book. Stay tuned!

WASH HANDS | What's with the Quotes?

Wash Hands
Originally uploaded by Todd Chandler

That law that mandates these signs is silly enough, but what does this restaurant mean by putting quotes around the words "wash hands"? We don't really mean wash hands?

Quotes for Mother's Day

7 Quotes about Mothers

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THE POWER OF ONE TWEET | Conan's Presenation at Google

Thought this was a fun presentation. The first 10 minutes are the least engaging, so feel free to skip ahead a little. Great examples of the power of social media, especially when Conan talks about selling out his entire tour with just one Tweet. That's an advertising budget that anyone can afford, of course, not everyone can reach the same audience that Coco can.

GET HAPPY | Abraham Lincoln

Yesterday, my family and I toured the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and I was struck by this quote posted on the wall:

"During the drive he was so gay, that I said to him, laughingly, 'Dear husband, you almost startled me by your great cheerfulness,' he replied, 'and well I may feel so, Mary, I consider this day, the war, has come to a close'—and then added 'We must both, be more cheerful in the future—between the war and the loss of our darling Willie—we have both, been very miserable.'"

—Mary Lincoln recounting the carriage ride they took the
afternoon before attending Ford’s Theatre on April 14th, 1865

I love the implied perspective of choosing to be happy, although I'm saddened by the thought of him expressing it so close to the end of his life. When I was searching for the exact quote, I also found this one from Lincoln expressing the same concept.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

- Abraham Lincoln

I thought both quotes were powerful reminders for all of us to GET HAPPY, before it's too late.

A Well-Intented, Misplaced Job Aid

Here is an example of a job with good content but poor execution. The outlets in this room at the Westin Copley Place were on the side of the desk, which made them very convenient to use, but also very difficult to find. I'm guessing the hotel got a lot of calls asking about the outlets, because this sign explaining where to find them was placed under the glass on the top of the table.

The problem with this solution is that you rarely look on top of the desk when you're looking for an outlet. The sign would be better if it was mounted on the wall where an outlet would normally be. Choosing the right delivery method is just as important as the quality of the content.

BRING YOUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK | a look at the results

Yesterday, I ranted a little bit about the dilution of a good idea when we expanded Bring your Daughters to Work Day to include male offspring and changed it to Bring OUR Daughters and Sons to Work Day. I thought I should take a look at the actual results of women in education and in the workforce, because maybe, just maybe I was over reacting.

EDUCATION

33% of women 25 to 29 had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2007, which exceeded that of men in this age range (26%). (source)

28% of women 25 and older obtained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2007. This was up 11 percentage points from 20 years earlier. (source)

Women earned 58% of the bachelor’s degrees during 2008-09; 60% of the master’s degrees; and nearly 50 percent of first-professional degrees, such as law and medical. (source)

All good news.

EMPLOYMENT

In 2007, women earned 77.5 cents for every $1 earned by men. (source)

Not such good news. And even more frightening:

The 10 most prevalent occupations for employed women in 2008 were—

1. Secretaries and administrative assistants, 3,168,000
2. Registered nurses, 2,548,000
3. Elementary and middle school teachers, 2,403,000
4. Cashiers, 2,287,000
5. Retail salespersons, 1,783,000
6. Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides, 1,675,000
7. First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers, 1,505,000
8. Waiters and waitresses, 1,471,000
9. Receptionists and information clerks, 1,323,000
10. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, 1,311,0

(source)

But...

Women accounted for 51% of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations. They outnumbered men in such occupations as public relations managers; financial managers; human resource managers; education administrators; medical and health services managers; accountants and auditors; budget analysts; biological scientists; preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers; physical therapists; writers and authors; and registered nurses. (source)

I don't know. Maybe I should just get with the program and bring all my children to work and make sure I talk to my daughters about plenty of career opportunities.

WHAT DO YOU THING? Leave your perspective on this topic in the comments section. I would love to read what you think.