. . . Time And Energy Invested on the Front End Significantly Impacts Rear-End Results.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes, reportedly told of a time he was waiting at a taxi stand outside the railway station in Paris. When a taxi pulled up, he placed his suitcase in the car and took a seat next to it.

“Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?” asked the taxi driver.

Doyle was flabbergasted. He asked the driver if he knew him by sight.

“No sir, I have never seen you before,” the driver responded.

The puzzled Doyle asked how he knew he was Conan Doyle.

“This morning’s paper had a story about you being on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi stand where people who return from Marseilles always come. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English, not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduced that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”

Doyle remarked, “This is truly amazing! You are a real-life counterpart to my fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes.”

“There was one other clue,” the driver said.

“What was that?

“Your name is on the front of your suitcase.”

If only the clues to hiring good people. . . the right people, were that obvious.

Bright Lights, Dim Bulbs

Donald Keough, retired president of Coca-Cola warned us to, “Watch out for bright lights that surround themselves with dim bulbs.”

Settling for only the best instead of the almost good enough stacks the deck in your favor every time. If you want people who will work hard, perform at their highest level, display a positive attitude, and be a team player, then create a selection process that ensures those results.

“If you lead your team, you are responsible to make sure the revolving door moves in such a way that the players who are joining the team are better than those who are leaving,” asserted the author John C. Maxwell.

Time invested on the front end pays long-term dividends. It all begins with establishing a proactive, optimistic, aggressive recruitment and hiring mentality.

Questions to Ponder:

What was our best hire in the past “three” months? Why?

Where did we settle for less than the best? What were the results of that hire?

What is your hiring credo that ensures only the best fit works for you?

To Be Continued. . .