What makes leadership roles truly fun is the ability to bring the best out of others. You can see skill sets, and things outside of traditional skills that show someones potential and capacity. I learned, however, you cannot want it more than they do. They must want it either just as much, or more. I’ve been a victim of this. Maybe you have too? You see someone that has this Pandora’s box of potential, and you push them. You provide opportunities for them, but they either end up pursuing something else- or they do not continue to shine.

This ties into hiring practices. Throughout my time as a leader, I eventually held myself to pursue a hiring strategy that was more intentional. A hiring strategy that helped focus my time on specific individuals versus pushing those that didn’t have the desire to do more. This hiring strategy also left me a cushion to just plainly get it wrong. We aren’t psychics, and we can’t predict how someone is going to field out in the actual work environment. They could rise to the occasion, or they can surprise us and leave. You can’t take it personally, but you can try and do better, and be more aware of any RED flags.

This ones for all the hiring managers out there, and recruiters. If you have a growing business with many leadership roles, it’s always important to build/develop your team for situations that come up. It could be that someone is getting promoted for a new role, or it could be that a leader decided to leave us. It happens. The biggest mistake that hiring managers make, is that they work quickly to fill a need. They look at the candidate, and sometimes expect basic responses. The candidate smiled (check), the candidate answered the question (check), the candidate can work the schedule (check), and the candidate is good with pay (check). Lets hire them! We have work to do!

This is a huge mistake as your strategy, and I’ll explain why.

You’re using zero tactics to determine if this candidate is truly a good fit. Every company provides questions to ask. It’s sort of thoughtless if you think about it. However, it’s your role to inquire and dig deeper to determine if someone is going to be successful. Things that have always been important to me are the following. Can the candidate show humility? If I get a sense that they can’t be accountable, or they can’t get feedback, I will ask them to provide me examples of when they did. In past jobs, I’ve actually had candidates tell me, ‘I’ve never made a mistake’. Yikes.

Can the candidate show me they can problem solve? Not basic problem solving. Can they show me they took the initiative, and made a plan. Did they give direction?

Can the candidate identify what their strengths, and opportunities are?

If I throw a situation at the candidate (that is similar to what they’ll face in the current environment), will they respond in a manner where it shows they’re able to handle it?

Can the candidate showcase they can provide feedback?

Now, this is where I start digging further. In a lot of company settings, we expect future leaders to speak on the above. Why not expect everyone to speak on the above? Self-awareness is such an important component for us. It’s important to me as well when getting to know future candidates, and I share this with other hiring managers across different industries. If someone isn’t self aware of who they are (for the most part), and what they need to do differently/can do differently- we aren’t a fit.

When I start seeing responses that are higher level, this is where I start to ask questions about future aspirations. Where is your head at? Where do you see yourself in the next five years? What are you hoping to get out of this role? You want to grow here? Great! Now it’s time to share the reality. No dangling the carrot on the stick. This is truly what it may look like. Are you OK with this?

This is where I determine my 30% hiring strategy. 30% of everyone I hire fits into a ‘potential’ bucket. They are those that probably are over qualified. However, with transparency from the very beginning, they see a vision, they appreciate honesty, and they join the team. They understand there is a process, and they know they’ll learn along the way. Sometimes you’ll run across those that fit this, but they’re too eager for the instant gratification. That’s OK. However, we know at this point it will lead to turnover pretty quickly. Move onto the next. The 60% are well qualified candidates that will do a great job meeting my expectations, and the business. They generally are content with where they are, but sometimes you’ll inspire a few of those folks to grow and do more. The 10% are those that you’re just not super sure about. You’re gut is not sure how to proceed, but you take the risk. Sometimes it’s a great decision, and sometimes it wasn’t. We are human after all.

What’s amazing about this strategy is that it’s always giving you a bucket of potential. Yes, development should happen with everyone. You never know who the next CEO is through the right engagement, and development. However, when you’re investing intentional time into those that truly want to rise (because they want it), you can have an endless supply of folks that are committed and ready to go. You just need to be careful to find ways to keep them engaged over that year, or so. They’re talented, and other companies might want to persuade them with ‘Quick Success’. It’s important you check on them continually, and ensure their leaders are providing them meaningful challenges and emotional support.

I challenge you to train your hiring managers, and managers within your companies to think differently around this. It’s important that you spend time with them, and show them what you want to see for this strategy. As a leader, you must also be prepared to have a pulse on these candidates at all times- or this will fail.

If you do this right, and you invest in your teams the right way, you’ll be ready for any obstacle that is thrown your way. You’ll also be changing the lives of many individuals.