September 2003

June 2006

Innovation Tips

…ideas for building collaborative innovation

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Getting the Right People—the 360-degree Preview

We too often look for someone to fill a position, without fully describing the aptitudes we are seeking. Before bringing new people into the organization, it is important to know that they have the right aptitudes as well as the right attitudes. (See Innovation Tips April/May 2006) But how can you be sure that you have found a person with the right aptitudes?

Resumes may be impressive but in the end, it is not what people have done for others, but what they can do for you that matters. It is too easy, and too often ineffective, to hire people because they have experience with similar work.

Aptitude tests may help, yet standardized tests are never 100% reliable. Personality assessment instruments have many shortfalls and can be easily be manipulated by the test taker.

Personal interviews are considered among the poorest means of evaluating a candidate’s potential. Too many subjective factors influence the results. As research has shown people are not very reliable evaluators of other people.

Yet each of these approaches has some value. Experience with work confirms that the person can do the work—whether or not the work engages their best gifts. Testing can confirm evidence of perceived aptitudes. Interviews with several people individually help to reduce the subjective influence of any one interviewer.

Each of these approaches is more effective when you have a clear understanding of the attributes being sought.

Describing the attributes of the ideal person is as simple as doing a 360-degree review. Simply ask the people who will be working with this individual what attributes they would value most.

Should the person have a deeply penetrating intellect, an openness to new ideas, a high social intelligence, a facility with data and facts, an ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, the ability to be decisive, an aptitude to discern new and imaginative possibilities, a deep connection to enduring values?

We call this descriptive summary of the ideal attributes the “360-degree Preview.” It is a snapshot of the personal attributes considered most important. When you have a clear picture of the attributes you want, you are in a much better position to ask pertinent probing questions.

In a busy work place, we may often settle for just filling a position. Yet, getting the right people is an essential component of building a vital organization. It behooves us to spend the necessary time to find the right people.

The 360-degree Preview helps to clearly describe whom we are seeking. It is a necessary step in recruiting the right people to the organization. If we don’t take time to describe the right person, we might end up with someone else.

Note: This is the second in a series of three issues on “Getting the Right People.”

The next series will start with August/September and run through November. We hope you like the new framework. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

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This Innovation Tip was based partially on an article at www.fastcompany.com/magazine/04/hiring.html
entitled “Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill”