Having the right members on your team will make all the difference in your organization. We need to remember that businesses don't compete. People do. People create value. As leaders, we are responsible for investing the time and energy to find these people and provide them with the right environment to succeed.
One of the most important things I have learned in talent search is to hire based on values, character, and not just skills.
In an interview process, you can learn what the person is doing by asking the right questions. You can learn their ethical standards and critical judgment. Another not minor topic is understanding how the person thinks about continuous self-improvement, habits, and attitude to confront challenges.
Caring about their answers is part of generating the right conditions where the person can be seen and heard. To get the most value from the process, it is important to be trusted, authentic, casual, and, if possible, avoid the office. Invite the person to take a coffee. You will have the opportunity to see how the person interacts with others.
Ask questions that you really want to know the answer to. As Clayton Christensen says, "Without a good question, a good answer has no place to go." Invite the candidates to tell you stories, so they can show you the behaviors and values of how the person responds to different situations. When you ask for a story, you have a higher probability to get the closest version of the truth. Here are some curated questions that I found insightful that could help you identify the right talent for your team:
Tell me about a specific time when you had to handle a tough problem that challenged fairness or ethical issues. What happened, and how did you respond? (Warren Buffett)
How did you spend your morning today? Use this question to learn about their daily habits and also help you get people into conversational mode. (Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross)
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (It could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.) (Tim Ferris)
When was the last time you "broke the rules"? What was the situation, and what did you do? (Warren Buffett)
What's something weird or unusual you did early in life? (Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross)
Tell me about one of the most difficult problems you’ve worked on and how you solved it. (Elon Musk)
When working with people, how would you describe your preferred relationship with them? Use this question to assess honesty and the capacity for open communication. (Warren Buffett)
What values do you appreciate the most in a team environment? Use this question to look for other trustworthy traits, like fairness, transparency, and inclusiveness —all hallmarks of integrity. (Warren Buffett)
What important truth do very few people agree with you on? This question sounds easy because it’s straightforward. Actually, it’s very hard to answer. It’s intellectually challenging because the knowledge that everyone is taught in school is, by definition, agreed upon. And it’s psychologically difficult because anyone trying to answer must say something she knows to be unpopular. Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius. (Peter Thiel)
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life? (Tim Ferris)
Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Take the time to rethink the people search process. Be clear about your values and those things that you will not settle. Hire people better than you. People who can look beyond, think about continual self-improvement, and at the same time seek to develop others. Hire someone that you would follow.