Attitude Hiring Wisdom

"There's something rare, something finer far,something much more scarce than ability. It's the ability to recognize ability..."

- Elbert Hubbard

   "The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little."

- Thomas Merton

   

Hiring Wisdom: 10 Reasons Managers Accept Mediocre Employees

by Mel Kleiman

Why do so many managers continue to accept mediocre, second-rate results?

Hundreds of research studies have quantified the difference between having an "A" player versus a "C" player in a job, any job. Every one of them concludes the difference in productivity and the impact on the bottom line is anywhere from 20 percent to over 1,000 percent greater return when you compare the best, most productive employees to those who are average.

While I've never met anyone who disagrees with this data, most managers and organizations continue to keep "C" players on the payroll. This leads me to believe these managers:

1.    Are focused on the employee, not the expected or required results.

2. Do not acknowledge the consequences for hiring or retaining "C" players.

3.    Are focused on low turnover rather than for retaining the right people.

4.    They say they want only "A" players, but they are not committed to hiring and retaining them.

5.    Don't know what "A" players look like. Attitude is critical.

6.    Don't know how to recruit "A" players because most of them are not looking for jobs.

7.    Don't know how "A" players think and make decisions (which is vastly different than employees who are looking for "just a job, any job").

8.    Use a screening process designed to screen people out rather than ensure the right people get in.

9.    Don't provide "A" managers to supervise "A" employees.

10. They fear letting people go. Yes because they "hate" recruiting, they don't think they can find someone better and/or they blame themselves for the person's failure to get the results they have agreed to.

A recent study of 20,000 new hires found that 46% of people didn't make it past 18 months on the job. 11% were due to ability -- 89% failed due to attitude. Here is a service for screening recruits for Attitude. 

 

Take a look at this Topgrading endorsed evaluation tool. $10 to $20 per screen and it works for sales, technical and office personnel. Attitude matters and you have to hire people that have a good attitude, you can't coach that. Check it out.

All the best, 

Rick Wallace