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Who

Geoff Smart, Randy Street

210 Pages
2008

Who

The A Method for Hiring

Ballantine Books

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Who - Summary

"Who: The A Method for Hiring" by Geoff Smart and Randy Street presents a research-based hiring methodology designed to improve hiring success rates to 90 percent. Based on over 1,300 hours of interviews with billionaires and CEOs, the book provides a structured approach to avoid costly hiring mistakes, which typically cost companies $1.5 million or more annually. The method replaces traditional 'voodoo hiring' with a systematic, evidence-based approach to finding and hiring the right people.

Key Ideas

1

Avoiding "Voodoo Hiring" Methods

The book highlights the inefficacy of traditional hiring methods, often referred to as "voodoo hiring." These methods include relying on gut feelings, unstructured interviews, and superficial criteria. Instead, the A Method advocates for a structured and evidence-based approach to hiring, ensuring that decisions are made based on data and proven techniques.

2

Defining Desired Outcomes

One of the core principles of the A Method is to clearly define the outcomes you seek from a new hire. This involves creating a scorecard that outlines the specific results and competencies required for the role. By having a clear understanding of what success looks like, you can better assess candidates and ensure they align with your organization's goals.

3

Generating a Flow of A Players

The book emphasizes the importance of continuously generating a pipeline of high-quality candidates, referred to as "A Players." This involves proactive recruitment strategies, such as leveraging networks, using referral programs, and maintaining relationships with potential candidates. By consistently attracting top talent, you can build a strong team that drives your organization's success.

FAQ's

"Who: The A Method for Hiring" focuses on providing a structured and evidence-based approach to hiring, aiming to improve the success rate of hiring to 90 percent by avoiding common pitfalls and using proven techniques.

The book suggests creating a scorecard that outlines the specific results and competencies required for the role. This helps in clearly understanding what success looks like and ensures that candidates align with the organization's goals.

The book recommends proactive recruitment strategies such as leveraging networks, using referral programs, and maintaining relationships with potential candidates to consistently attract top talent and build a strong team.

💡 Full 15min Summary

'Who' decisions in hiring are pivotal for business success, and their improvement can lead to enhanced performance and growth.
0:00 / 1:43

Managers often face a multitude of decisions, but the most crucial ones aren't necessarily about strategies, products, services, or processes. Instead, they revolve around the people chosen to implement these decisions. When these choices, referred to as 'who' decisions, go wrong, it leads to hiring the wrong individuals. This, in turn, creates issues that can negatively affect the entire business.

In-depth research was carried out to understand where managers typically falter in making 'who' decisions. This involved interviewing over 1300 CEOs, managers, investors, and experts, as well as analyzing data on 300 CEOs. The findings revealed four main areas of struggle for managers: a lack of clarity about job requirements, a weak pool of candidates, difficulty in identifying the right candidate, and the inability to secure desired candidates.

These 'who' mistakes are not only common, occurring 50% of the time, but also costly. The estimated loss from such a mistake is 15 times an employee's salary. However, there's a silver lining. With the right approach, these mistakes can be avoided, leading to better hires, less wasted resources, and greater success.

A practical method to improve 'who' decisions in hiring is presented. When this method is implemented, it leads to better hiring outcomes, more engaged managers, improved business performance, and more time for nurturing relationships. By making the right 'who' decisions, both managers and businesses can flourish.

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