Today, practically every business gets bombarded with relentless hiring advice from countless experts. It’s understandable though because making a business successful is all about the people. And hiring the right people is probably one of the most important strategic decisions a business can make. There is an art to hiring the right person than just reviewing resumes and interviewing. In fact, some of the top leaders in business have provided some incredible insight about hiring, offering some of the best advice for companies. Take a look at these fantastic examples:
- Bob Iger, CEO of the Disney Company: According to Wall Street Insanity via a Harvard Business Review interview in 2011, Iger said, “You’ve got to be an optimist. You can’t be a pessimist. When you come to work, you’ve got to show enthusiasm and spirit. You can’t let people see you brought down by the experience of failure. You don’t have that luxury. I believe in taking big risks creatively. If you fail, don’t do it with mediocrity — do it with something that was truly original, truly a risk.” We’re such huge supporters of positivity and concur completely with Iger with his advice. Excellent tip.
- John D. Rockefeller, Founder, and CEO of Standard Oil: “I do not think there is any other quality so essential to the success of any kind as perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” We love how an icon like Rockefeller knew early on how important the “Never Give Up,” motto is in life. This one is a classic.
- Richard Branson, Founder, and Chairman, The Virgin Group: “The number one thing that matters, especially if you’re going to be a manager at Virgin, is how good you are with people. If you’re good with people and you really, genuinely care about people then I’m sure we could find a job for you at Virgin.” We couldn’t agree more that in any service industry, customer service and being likable traits are essential when sourcing exceptional talent.
- Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook: “When I was first at Facebook, a woman named Lori Goler, a 1997 graduate of HBS, was working in marketing at eBay and I kind of knew of her socially. And she called me and said, ‘I want to talk with you about coming to work with you at Facebook. So I thought about calling you,’ she said, ‘and telling you all the things I’m good at and all the things I like to do. But I figured that everyone is doing that. So instead, I want to know, what’s your biggest problem and how can I solve it?’ My jaw hit the floor. I’d hired thousands of people up to that point in my career, but no one had ever said anything like that. I had never said anything like that. Job searches are always about the job searcher, but not in Laurie’s case. I said, ‘you’re hired.'” (From a 2012 speech to the graduating class at Harvard Business School, via Business Insider.
- Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway: According to CBS News, there are three things Buffett looks for in a potential leader: “intelligence, energy and integrity. He believes that even if a person has two of these traits, the lack of the third can bring a business down.” We’ve seen business leaders many times fail their stockholders and employers simply because they lacked integrity. Buffet is one hundred percent correct with his advice.
These top leaders believe attributes like optimism, enthusiasm, perseverance, likeability, problem-solving, intelligence, energetic and integrity are vital elements in finding the right people. These are fantastic characteristics, but what works for some doesn’t often work for others. How do you know what’s the right type of person working for you? My suggestion is to take a look at your best employees and define what makes them great for your business. Reviewing those just might help define your own important attributes. And from there, you’ll be well on your way to building an incredible team.
Still looking for more support in finding the right employee for your company? Email us directly and we’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Ingrid Moore
Ingrid Moore is the Founder and CEO of Corporate Resources of Illinois, an employment & staffing agency with over 20+years’ experience located in Schaumburg, IL. Ingrid and her team assist employers with finding the right hire for their business. For more info, follow us on our LinkedIn Company Page, or follow us Corporate Resources of Illinois‘s Google+ page.
