Topic: Hiring/Interviewing
Title:
Hiring with Clint Smith
Source: Entreleadership Podcast http://www.daveramsey.com/entreleadership/podcast
Key Points:
-Number one item from Ramsey and Clint Smith: find someone who is humble and hungry. This is theme of Jim Collins famous book Good to Great. Survey of top US CEOs showed they were consistently humble and willing to do whatever to succeed.
-Take your time and do multiple interviews (speed up time frame but don’t skip your steps)
-Culture and Character first then look at talent and experience. Find someone who is team-player and lifts up others.
-Trust your gut. Most bad hires the CEO felt uneasy about the hire but went ahead anyway
-Champions want to work with other champions, your best people on staff will rise if you bring on other top-notch people, so take time and do it right
-Always take a ‘B’ player that can lead and lift others on the team rather than an ‘A’ player that is an island and
not a team-player
Notes:
-from Dave Ramsey
-Number One mistake in hiring: not taking enough time
Get in a crisis and lower standards
-Only one way to find out about people is to spend time with them
-from Clint Smith of www.myemma.com
-Clint Smith of www.myemma.com has about 14 stepped hiring process
-Highlights of process:
-First step: Have person write, it is a window into the mind, key employees should
be able to express themselves clearly and succinctly
-Give them about 10 short answer questions to write on.
These can range from serious to light-hearted (example: describe their work experience, what would name
your boat if you had one, to what is the most generous thing your present company done for you, it is
good to hear how other companies take care of their people)
-A following step: have a coffee chat/phone/skype including one or two other key leaders from the business
-If goes well then another chat with more people involved
More people can get involved if the leader of the team new person working with think person would be
asset.
-A final step, all hands on deck, gather representatives from key areas through the entire company
-Having others really helps with the cultural fit and this is where CEO gets involved.
-Collaboration really helps preserve culture
-Make the process efficient by having just a few involved at the beginning and more involved later but
obviously with fewer candidates
-You can shrink or expand the amount of time you take going through steps based on candidate: usually takes
months, but days if you find a rock star
-Rule when hiring: Don’t shop when you are hungry
-Always be looking for next number one sales person, who is the next rock star
-CEO has 1-2 coffees every week with very interesting people even if they are not looking for a job
-Having regular coffee meetings has value beyond hiring, it’s a time when you can spread info about your
company, and learn from others
-Hiring shouldn’t be a chore
-Culture is number one thing in making a great business and always being challenged to make it better
-Hiring also, always challenging to make process better
-Always take a ‘B’ player that can lead and lift others on the team rather than an ‘A’ player that is an island and
not a team-player
-Interviewers don’t ask questions like they should
-Don’t oversell the job or company
-Tell the story of company briefly
-Listening is huge
-Number One Character Trait for EMMA: must have Humility looking for someone smart and confident, but
need someone hungry to learn and genuinely believes they can learn from anyone and any situation.
-Also, Respect, Curiosity, Collaboration, Sense of Humor
-Essence of Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins: Humility mixed with willingness to do whatever it takes
(based on study of top successful CEO traits)
-Champions want to work with other champions, your best people on staff will rise if you bring on other top-notch people, so take time and do it right
-Gut instinct still plays important role
Questions to consider asking:
Hiring question, tell me one thing you have done to change the culture of your company
If you want someone to be a cultural ambassador for you ask if they have they done that elsewhere
-What is one most innovative things you did at your previous company that you look back with pride or
gratitude. What they say and how they say it. If use a lot of ‘I did this’ and ‘I did that’ instead of ‘We’ then
may not be a team player
-Ask candidate, ‘What questions do you have for us?’
Tip: You want someone who is not just interesting but interested and curious
-Most Bad hires you can look back and point to something key was missed that you purposely ignored because
in a hurry
Title:
Hiring with Clint Smith
Source: Entreleadership Podcast http://www.daveramsey.com/entreleadership/podcast
Key Points:
-Number one item from Ramsey and Clint Smith: find someone who is humble and hungry. This is theme of Jim Collins famous book Good to Great. Survey of top US CEOs showed they were consistently humble and willing to do whatever to succeed.
-Take your time and do multiple interviews (speed up time frame but don’t skip your steps)
-Culture and Character first then look at talent and experience. Find someone who is team-player and lifts up others.
-Trust your gut. Most bad hires the CEO felt uneasy about the hire but went ahead anyway
-Champions want to work with other champions, your best people on staff will rise if you bring on other top-notch people, so take time and do it right
-Always take a ‘B’ player that can lead and lift others on the team rather than an ‘A’ player that is an island and
not a team-player
Notes:
-from Dave Ramsey
-Number One mistake in hiring: not taking enough time
Get in a crisis and lower standards
-Only one way to find out about people is to spend time with them
-from Clint Smith of www.myemma.com
-Clint Smith of www.myemma.com has about 14 stepped hiring process
-Highlights of process:
-First step: Have person write, it is a window into the mind, key employees should
be able to express themselves clearly and succinctly
-Give them about 10 short answer questions to write on.
These can range from serious to light-hearted (example: describe their work experience, what would name
your boat if you had one, to what is the most generous thing your present company done for you, it is
good to hear how other companies take care of their people)
-A following step: have a coffee chat/phone/skype including one or two other key leaders from the business
-If goes well then another chat with more people involved
More people can get involved if the leader of the team new person working with think person would be
asset.
-A final step, all hands on deck, gather representatives from key areas through the entire company
-Having others really helps with the cultural fit and this is where CEO gets involved.
-Collaboration really helps preserve culture
-Make the process efficient by having just a few involved at the beginning and more involved later but
obviously with fewer candidates
-You can shrink or expand the amount of time you take going through steps based on candidate: usually takes
months, but days if you find a rock star
-Rule when hiring: Don’t shop when you are hungry
-Always be looking for next number one sales person, who is the next rock star
-CEO has 1-2 coffees every week with very interesting people even if they are not looking for a job
-Having regular coffee meetings has value beyond hiring, it’s a time when you can spread info about your
company, and learn from others
-Hiring shouldn’t be a chore
-Culture is number one thing in making a great business and always being challenged to make it better
-Hiring also, always challenging to make process better
-Always take a ‘B’ player that can lead and lift others on the team rather than an ‘A’ player that is an island and
not a team-player
-Interviewers don’t ask questions like they should
-Don’t oversell the job or company
-Tell the story of company briefly
-Listening is huge
-Number One Character Trait for EMMA: must have Humility looking for someone smart and confident, but
need someone hungry to learn and genuinely believes they can learn from anyone and any situation.
-Also, Respect, Curiosity, Collaboration, Sense of Humor
-Essence of Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins: Humility mixed with willingness to do whatever it takes
(based on study of top successful CEO traits)
-Champions want to work with other champions, your best people on staff will rise if you bring on other top-notch people, so take time and do it right
-Gut instinct still plays important role
Questions to consider asking:
Hiring question, tell me one thing you have done to change the culture of your company
If you want someone to be a cultural ambassador for you ask if they have they done that elsewhere
-What is one most innovative things you did at your previous company that you look back with pride or
gratitude. What they say and how they say it. If use a lot of ‘I did this’ and ‘I did that’ instead of ‘We’ then
may not be a team player
-Ask candidate, ‘What questions do you have for us?’
Tip: You want someone who is not just interesting but interested and curious
-Most Bad hires you can look back and point to something key was missed that you purposely ignored because
in a hurry