Last week, I shared the three ‘killer’ questions for candidates to ask in their interviews to ensure they don’t accidentally end up working for arseholes.
This week, I am flipping things around and giving you, Leaders, the Killer Questions you need to ensure you don’t bring …. well let’s just call them jerks, into your team or business.
Light hearted tone aside, this is serious stuff. A bad hire is bad for everyone. It damages (and can even critically injure or kill) your business. It impacts on the team (hurting relationships, trust and productivity). It impacts on you (your energy, time, relationships with the team, trust and headspace). And it even impacts the a***hole you have hired.
As a Leader, it is critical that the hiring decisions you are making are GREAT decisions, especially given downside that comes from getting this wrong.
The good news is, great decisions are enabled by capturing the insights that really help you understand how a person works. How they tick. How they connect with others. How they will work in your context. Knowing this – we have designed a simple set of 3 Killer Questions that we know work and will give you the information you need to make a great hiring decision, every time.
Here are the mwah. 3 Killer Questions;
1. Achievement
Ask: “What are you most proud of achieving in the last 12 months?’
Look for: Can this person REALLY deliver? Are they delivering what matters (i.e. was this something important to a Customer/the business/the team, or something that was only beneficial/important to the person)? How did they deliver it (by themselves, with the team etc)?
2. Generosity
Ask: ‘Can you tell me of a time you really leaned in and helped someone, and no one knew until now?
Look for: Those who really lean in and support others without the need for a medal, will have a number of examples ready to share, but may be a bit embarrassed about it. Look for the way they talk about helping others. Are they truly generous (e.g. ‘the person had a bad day and just needed some help’), or are they helping for self-interest (e.g. ‘the person was stuffed and LUCKY I was there to fix it up’)?
3. Growth and Development
Ask: Can you tell me about the toughest ‘valuable’ feedback you’ve had lately. Where did it come from? How’d you go about doing something with it?
Look for: Are they open to feedback. Digging deep. Do they have a real commitment to lifelong learning and growing? Or is the last thing they learned at Uni – or development feedback they received some 10+ years ago as a grad…
If the person is struggling (it’s ok – this can happen), ask for the hardest thing they have learnt lately. This could be a new system, process, technical knowledge etc. If the person is open to learning, they’ll find something to say.
Three simple questions.
Three telling answers.
Three incredible pieces of insights to help you make a great hiring decision – for you, the person, the team and your business.
And as an added bonus – we’ll throw in endless nights of deep comfortable sleep (you know, the kind you can only have when you don’t have a**holes on your team).
Good luck!
