photo by ljcybergal
We had a great conversation this morning with the head of HR at a local Boulder company. While talking about the issues around hiring she had a very zen approach, “know thyself.”
Her point was that you can’t hire great people if you first don’t know where you want to go and how you’re getting there.
Two companies may work on solving the same problem but they will take different paths to get to the finish line. And in each case it will take people with different skills (both functional and interpersonal) in order to contribute successfully.
And while it sounds simplistic it’s incredible how often we don’t take the time to actually think through exactly what it is we need. We’re dealing with people, not McDonald’s hamburgers. There is going to be a lot of variation in two people that have held the same title. Therefore, in order to evaluate them you need to have the yardstick by which to do so. And that’s you.
Knowing what needs to get done and how you want to accomplish it is the starting point for evaluating a potential new hire. The last thing you want to do is get suckered into the trap of falling for skills you don’t need (even if they are expert skills) or making the hire just because you like the individual.
People succeed within your company because you put them in a position to do so.
First, know thyself. It helps you make better decisions, it shows the candidates the respect they deserve and it helps them become successful employees.
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