I need to find someone soon.” “We are overworked and can’t keep up.” “We have way too much work; this is not sustainable.” “Even when I do get someone, they are not a good fit.” “I can’t believe that they left when they did. Why didn’t they talk to me?”
The pressure to find good people is a HUGE challenge for the Maverick leader.
Merely “throwing warm bodies” at a job is asking for significant trouble.
Yet, what do you do?
Although there are a number of important factors you must attend to when looking to hire great people, there is one that rises above the others; one that helps ensure you are bringing a “winner” onto the team.
Companies such as Ritz Carlton, Southwest, and Zappo’s make no apologies for the level of rigor they bring to their hiring when looking for the right people for their team. Neither should you!
There is one word that ties together all that you would be looking for in a new hire. This one word is the essence of a person who is living a life that is credible and worthy of your employ.
Ownership!!
It is easy to talk about having a great attitude. It is also simple for someone to declare that they have a strong set of values. It is significantly different to live it out. Living it out well is a clear demonstration that they “own” their attitude. Owning ones’ attitude is a demonstration of character.
Here are 7 character attributes to watch for as you recruit people who own their attitude – these are men and women of character. The foundation for these 7 is love – the choice to extend oneself for the highest good of another. (Matt 22:34-40 NLT)
Look for these 7 when the person being recruited is “not looking”, when they are not trying to perform so that you will give them a job. Note that the statements below are not framed as questions for an interview.
- Service: How do they treat people when you are not looking?
- Forgiveness & reconciliation: Do they own their mistakes, daring to make them right?
- Growth: Do they have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
- Joy: Do they have an optimistic and realistic attitude?
- Humility: Have you seen them choose to be vulnerable in a situation that wasn’t easy for them to do so?
- Resilience: How have they handled disappointment and setbacks?
- Trust: Have they demonstrated credibility; doing what they said they would do?
Hiring people with strong character is a phenomenal opportunity!
Take the time to do it well. You will not regret it!
A Maverick Application:
- Read Romans 5:3-5.
- Reflect on the 7 character attributes listed above; where have you hired well?
- What attributes are missing in those that you may have hired too quickly?
- What will you do differently in the future?
