I have been a fan of leadership guru, John Maxwell for many years. I thought I would share some of his advice with you.
It is important to hire people that will fit in with the culture of your company and who will add to the overall skills and intellect of your company. It is important that you know what your company core values are so that you can hire people who share those same values.
When hiring a new staff member, know what the job requires. A job has certain characteristics that require specific skills and personality traits. Does the job require: –
An up-front or behind the scenes person?
A generalist or a specialist?
A producer or a maintainer?
A people person or a paper person?
A leader or a supporter?
A veteran or a rookie?
A creative thinker or an abstract thinker?
Constant supervision or little supervision?
A team player or an individualist?
Don’t make the mistake of hiring people just like you. Make sure the person matches what the job needs and not necessarily the qualities you prefer.
Here are some qualities that John Maxwell looks for in a new hire: –
Positive attitude
High energy level
Personal warmth
Integrity
Responsibility
Good self image
Leadership ability
Followership ability
Absence of personal problems
People skills
This is a great check-list to use when hiring your next staff member.
Another tip is to not ask leading questions. An example of a leading question is, “So you look energetic. How would you rate your energy levels?’. To get a more honest answer from a candidate, you could ask this question in another way. “Give me an example in the last three months where you had to keep on working long after you were tired. What was the situation? How did you cope?’ The answer to this question would probably give you a better sense of the candidate’s energy levels.
Remember, if it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck, it is not an eagle. It is a duck!
By Cindy Norcott, Owner of Pro Appointments & Founder of The Robinhood Foundation
