"Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't."
------Peter Drucker
Many may remember the late Peter Drucker, who is considered to be the “father of modern management.” He is well known for his observation that the average business executive has a .333 ‘batting average’ where it concerns hiring decisions.
I find that today many organizations still lack a good hiring system. If a baseball player is batting .333, that’s not bad. However, that’s not nearly good enough for running a business—especially yours.
If hiring top talent is a problem, kick-start the process by leveraging often overlooked elements of an effective hiring system.
Even the smartest and brightest business professionals can lack either the training or tools necessary for identifying, assessing and hiring high-quality candidates. An inordinate number of people still hire by the ‘seat of their pants.’ That is, they fall short due to a lack of preparedness or foresight. I’ve seen how the following overlooked elements can jinx things way before you meet and shake hands with the candidate:
- a lack of organization;
- unstructured interviews;
- a lack of participation by those crucially involved with the position; and
- a lack of involvement by those whose product or service depends on that position.
First, figure out how, and with whom, you need to successfully hire top talent.
Successful organizations demonstrate that when you do prepare and involve your principal players—and you gather all their input and put it together effectively—you will be closer to finding that ‘good fit’ employee. Also, to gain an even greater competitive edge, you will want to keep in mind or have readily available the following hiring aids:
- the position’s competencies;
- the position’s defined tasks, listed and prioritized;
- the position’s job description; and
- the position’s assessment tools
In addition to the above, a predetermined and structured interview format will help you feel more confident and focused during the hiring process.
Take these preliminary steps before you begin the hiring process.
Before you make this important investment—hiring your top talent—consider taking these steps to help ensure greater success:
- Establish your alignment – in other words, where is the company going?
- Establish your needs – what do you need now and what will you need a few years from now?
- Prepare for the future – be open and prepared for the strong possibility that this position may change as time goes on. What skills and qualifications will this position require now and ongoing, i.e., into the future?
- Develop a task list – tap into other resources; including those who surround this position, those who report to this position and those whom this position reports to. You will also want to seek information from individuals presently in the position, as well as your human resource professionals.
- Align this position with the strategic goals of the organization – this is a very important point, because your human capital investments are the embodiments of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to help you successfully move in the direction you’ve envisioned and strategically planned for.
As you consider taking these steps, you should also think about those people who need to be represented in the hiring process. You’re going to ask these principal players questions such as follows:
OK, what are the important responsibilities and accountabilities for this position? How does this position contribute financially? How does the position contribute to new business development? What are the tasks associated with management? What are the absolute requirements before someone is even considered for this position?
In a nutshell, there you have it. Any business or organization—small, medium or large—wants to attract, hire and retain top talent, which can be a challenge especially for our smaller businesses.
Hiring employees is a major investment, and hiring mistakes are costly to any size organization. No one can afford anymore to have employees operating at between 40 and 50 percent capacity. The competition is too great; so be sure and take the time and actions necessary to develop an effective hiring selection process.
Note: If you are concerned about success in hiring contact me by phone at (602) 357-4399 or by e-mail at ken.kasner@gmail.com