Seven Disciplines of A Leader

12Practice 1: Hire People Like a Casting Director

Highly effective leaders hire smart; they hire the right people and put them in the right positions. They choose people for key positions as carefully as a casting director. Recruit, hire, and promote people who fit the culture and brand and empower them to act their part well. Only the right people (talented individuals who do great work) are your greatest assets. Fire the job misfits, and take corrective measures with underperformers. Set high standards, and never compromise them in hiring. Hire slowly and fire fast. Leave a position open until you find the right person who is also the right fit for the job.

Roger Makes His First Hiring Decision

Roger, newly appointed supervisor of maintenance for a luxury hotel in Hawaii, was replacing a retiring HVAC mechanic. He was inundated with applications and, with the help of the hotel's administrative director, narrowed the selection to two job candidates. Both candidates had strong academic and technical credentials, both came highly recommended, and both had positive work attitudes. One of the candidates was an older more experienced man, the other a younger man about Roger's age.

Which candidate did Roger select?

He went with the older man because, frankly, he feared that the younger man would be a competitor for his own position, and that factor alone forced Roger's hand.

As it turned out, the older man was promoted into Roger's job before the year was out because the hotel's ...