Hate Firing People? Then Hire Them Instead
Rather than pay for recruitment, training and everyone else’s time helping the new person come on board, invest your money upfront to get the right person for each position.
At some point, every manager has to fire an employee. It’s a fact of business everyone hates. However, if you simply hire better from the start, you could greatly reduce the number of firings.
Most people hire according to a candidate’s resume, looking at what the candidate did in the past and how it was accomplished. If those two factors look good, the candidate gets the job. But when you fire someone, is it usually because of skills or processes? For most, the answer is “no.” In fact, when asked, most reveal that they fire people due to behavioral problems. Yes, sometimes employees get fired because they claimed to have skills they really did not, but more often than not, behavior that is not in alignment with a business’ culture or expectations is the real reason for the firing.
Get the Right Fit
In general, looking solely at the resume is not always the best
indicator for how someone will perform at your company. Good hiring
is really about behavioral selection—that is, select people based on
their behavioral tendencies, not on their resume. This is not to say that
you should never look at a candidate’s resume, as you will certainly
need to if your position requires skills or training. But don’t base your
entire decision on the resume alone. To hire the right person for the job,
you need to base at least one-third or more of your hiring decision on
the candidate’s behavior. When it comes to behavior, look for the
following “fits.”
Cultural Fit
Every company has a unique culture. Know what your company
culture is so you can assess whether the job candidate will fit with
it. If your company is innovative and focused on creative
endeavors, you want to bring someone in who has demonstrated the
capacity to work in that setting. Likewise, if your culture requires
everyone to have high accountability standards, you want a person
who can adhere to that environment. Bringing a creative type
person into a rigid, process-oriented culture will likely cause you
headaches down the road and lead to a firing that could have been
prevented.
Job Function Fit
Know the nuances of the position you’re hiring for. Take the time to
detail a profile of the ideal person in that role, including specific
behavioral characteristics that person must have (such as “patient,”
“good listener,” “analytical thinker,” “risk taker,” etc.) so that you’ll
have a written description of what to look for during the interview
process.
History Fit
Past behavior is a great predictor of future behavior. For example, if
you are you looking for someone who can respond well under crisis,
find out where he or she experienced crisis before and talk to people
who observed the candidate in the situation so you can know how the
person really responded. Yes, this takes time because you’re doing
more due diligence and detective work, but you’ll have more accurate
data for your hiring decision.
Simulation Fit
Consider setting up simulation events to see how candidates would
act on the job. If you’re hiring for a specific position, brief the
candidate on your procedures and then have him or her practice with
someone on staff, realizing that it’s okay if the candidate doesn’t get all
the procedures correct. You’re looking for communication ability, not
the ability to recite facts. These simulation exercises are useful and
interesting because you can see how people behave on the job, interact
with others, process information and many other behavioral
tendencies.
Ready, Aim, Hire!
Consider using one of the behavioral assessment tools available
today, such as DiSC® and Myers Brigg Type Indicator. They can
quickly tell you how likely someone is to act in various situations.
Realize that employment law stipulates that any assessment tool result
cannot account for the majority of your decision making process.
While behavioral tests and fit assessments certainly take time and overhead to implement, the results are worth it. The latest findings state that employee replacement can cost a company two to three times the employee’s salary. So rather than pay for recruitment, training and everyone else’s time helping the new person come on board, invest your money upfront to get the right person for each position. Why hire someone you’re going to have to fire later because of a behavioral mismatch? Always hire based on behavior now so you can stop firing based on behavior later.
Don Schmincke is a business consultant and author of the CEO bestseller, The Code of the Executive. A graduate of MIT and Johns Hopkins University, Don uses anthropology and evolutionary genetics to dispel the usual management and leadership techniques and theories. With more than 20 years of research and consulting experience, Don and The SAGA Institute have helped clients including the U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness, DuPont, IBM, Miller Brewing and more. He can be reached by visiting the Web site at www.sagaleadership.com.
