Assessing character through the hiring process

Getting hiring decisions wrong is an undeniably costly exercise. The drain on time, energy, morale and drag on progress can be immense. That is especially true if the wrong person is appointed to a senior leadership role. 

 

One newly appointed CEO I met managed to turn a trusting, respectful, passionate team environment into one characterised by butt covering, defensiveness, and aggression. Within 3 months of him starting in the role, engagement had plummeted. To this day my heart sinks when I think of the first moment I met this CEO, who I will call 'John', and realised what a horrible mistake the Board had made. To me he was quite obviously an insecure character with a need for validation so strong he spent the first 50 minutes of our initial meeting talking about his career achievements.   

 

John’s appointment is just one example of so many times when I’ve been astounded by the hiring choices senior leaders have made.  Poor judgment of character is common but just as often leaders simply ignore their instincts and prioritise technical skills over character fit.  

 

Never comprise on character.  If your observations or intuition is telling you they are the wrong person for the job, don’t hire them.  I’ve never seen it pay off to take a punt on a character we don’t immediately warm to. Start by knowing specifically who you are looking for. Go deeper than simply knowing they need to be culturally aligned. Understand what that looks like in your business. What values are most important in enabling success? What mindsets and behaviours reflect these values?  

 

At each step in your hiring process actively look for ‘green and red flags’ indicating alignment or otherwise with the type of person you are looking for.  Start to form a hypothesis about who someone is and they type of team member they are likely to be, and then test it.

For example, if you are looking for someone who is a team player, notice when they constantly talk about themselves and never make reference to being a part of a group. Ask probing questions to explore the extent to which they maintain narrow focus on themselves.   

 

It’s definitely a red flag worth paying attention to when a candidate thinks or says they like to work as part of a time, but when telling stories focus solely on their own contribution and fail to share reasonable credit for success with other teams. Particularly when given multiple opportunities to do so.   

Recognise which red flags are deal breakers. Some criteria like operating with integrity need to be viewed as nonnegotiable. One red flag warrants further exploration and careful further consideration. Two integrity red flags should be enough to end the candidate’s application. 

Have the courage walk away from highly skilled candidates who raise too may red character flags through the process. Failing to place adequate weight on red flags is a common reason hiring mistakes are made.  There is no point denying reality.  If what you are observing are mindsets and behaviours that don’t fit the character you need in the job, keep looking.