Latest / The Science of Leading / Hiring Smarter, Not Harder

Transcript

Hiring Smarter, Not Harder · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Hey hey-welcome back to The Science of Leading.
• 0:02
  I'm Claire Monroe, and-of course-joining me is the calm,
• 0:05
  collected voice of reason himself... Edwin Carrington.
• 0:09
  How's it going today?
• 0:09
  Doing well,
• 0:11
  Claire.
• 0:11
  Always good to be here.
• 0:12
  And honestly?
• 0:13
  This topic...
• 0:14
  it hits close to home.
• 0:16
  Lotta history-lotta mistakes-wrapped up in this one.
• 0:16
  Ooooh okay,
• 0:20
  now that I wanna hear about.
• 0:21
  So today we're diving into, like...
• 0:23
  why your gut instinct might not be the best hiring strategy anymore.
• 0:26
  Which-I mean-it sounds obvious,
• 0:29
  but it's kinda crazy how many leaders still just go with their gut.
• 0:32
  Why do you think that is?
• 0:32
  Ah, part habit... part ego,
• 0:36
  maybe.
• 0:36
  There's this idea that if you've been around long enough,
• 0:40
  you can just, you know-read people.
• 0:42
  Trust your instinct.
• 0:42
  But the truth is,
• 0:46
  I've seen that go sideways more times than I care to count.
• 0:50
  I remember back in...
• 0:52
  late '80s, maybe '89 or so, I was at this fast-growing tech startup.
• 0:57
  We were hiring like crazy.
• 1:00
  And I made a call-just a gut call-on someone who,
• 1:04
  on paper, looked great.
• 1:06
  Said all the right things.
• 1:08
  Had that "it" factor.
• 1:08
  But six months in?
• 1:12
  It was clear they weren't a fit.
• 1:14
  The team dynamic got weird, trust eroded,
• 1:18
  and turnover... spiked.
• 1:20
  It ended up costing us way more than just a bad hire.
• 1:20
  Yikes.
• 1:24
  And I've totally seen that too-companies holding onto these,
• 1:27
  like, super unstructured interviews...
• 1:29
  vague job descriptions... and then they're surprised when no one sticks
• 1:33
  around.
• 1:33
  It's just easier to go with your gut than to actually build a system,
• 1:37
  right?
• 1:37
  It is easier.
• 1:38
  But it's also riskier.
• 1:38
  There was one company-no names,
• 1:43
  of course-where the whole process boiled down to "Do we like this person?"
• 1:47
  No structure, no benchmarks.
• 1:49
  Just vibes.
• 1:50
  And surprise, surprise-turnover was high.
• 1:54
  Teams didn't trust each other,
• 1:56
  because expectations were all over the place.
• 1:56
  That's what happens when
• 2:00
  you lead with instinct and ignore the data.
• 2:00
  Yeah,
• 2:02
  and it's not just about one bad hire.
• 2:04
  Like... it spreads.
• 2:06
  One person's misalignment can totally throw off the whole team.
• 2:06
  So,
• 2:10
  if gut instinct isn't enough...
• 2:11
  what is?
• 2:12
  What's the fix?
• 2:12
  First step?
• 2:14
  Get crystal clear on what the role really needs.
• 2:14
  Not just tasks-but what
• 2:20
  success looks like.
• 2:21
  What behaviors lead to the right outcomes.
• 2:21
  And then,
• 2:25
  back it up with data.
• 2:26
  Tools like the OAD behavioral assessment can show you what top performers
• 2:31
  in the role have in common-so you're not just guessing.
• 2:34
  You're measuring alignment.
• 2:34
  Okay,
• 2:37
  so... if I'm a hiring manager listening to this-what do I change first?
• 2:41
  Like... is it the job description?
• 2:43
  The way we interview?
• 2:44
  Or...?Start with the job description.
• 2:44
  Most are just-too vague.
• 2:50
  Buzzwordy.
• 2:50
  Use your top performers as the baseline.
• 2:55
  Pull from performance data, even your ATS if you've got one,
• 2:59
  to figure out what really matters.
• 2:59
  And co-create expectations with your
• 3:03
  team.
• 3:04
  When you do that-you attract people who see themselves in the role.
• 3:08
  The rest?
• 3:09
  They self-select out.
• 3:09
  That reminds me-there was this retail chain I read
• 3:13
  about?
• 3:13
  They used to do, like, five or six rounds of interviews.
• 3:16
  Same questions over and over.
• 3:18
  Exhausting.
• 3:18
  But once they added structure-and some behavioral assessments-they
• 3:23
  filled roles faster and had way fewer mis-hires.
• 3:26
  It's kind of wild how just having a process changes everything.
• 3:26
  Absolutely.
• 3:26
  Streamlining
• 3:32
  doesn't mean rushing-it just means focusing.
• 3:32
  Use structured interviews.
• 3:37
  Score candidates on what actually predicts success.
• 3:40
  Cut the fluff.
• 3:40
  When you use the right tools-like OAD-you can spot fit
• 3:46
  early.
• 3:47
  Saves time, saves morale.
• 3:47
  And it's not just about skills,
• 3:51
  right?
• 3:51
  Like... someone might be amazing technically but still just... not mesh with
• 3:55
  the team.
• 3:55
  Exactly.
• 3:57
  Traits like adaptability, initiative,
• 3:59
  collaboration-those matter.
• 3:59
  If you're only looking at resumes or technical
• 4:04
  tests, you're flying blind.
• 4:04
  But if you bring in behavioral assessments
• 4:09
  and real structure, you start seeing the full picture.
• 4:12
  And that's where smart hiring happens.
• 4:12
  So it's not about making the process
• 4:17
  longer-it's about making it smarter.
• 4:19
  I like that.
• 4:19
  But let's be real for a second.
• 4:22
  Isn't there a risk of making hiring feel...
• 4:24
  too robotic?
• 4:24
  Totally fair question.
• 4:24
  The best systems use data to inform
• 4:30
  human decisions-not replace them.
• 4:30
  I've seen executive teams use AI,
• 4:36
  machine learning, behavioral data-all to guide decisions.
• 4:40
  Not to make them.
• 4:40
  Things like DEI analytics or OAD assessments can flag
• 4:46
  blind spots.
• 4:47
  Predict success.
• 4:48
  Help balance the team.
• 4:50
  But in the end?
• 4:51
  It's still people making the call.
• 4:51
  Right-there was this global company
• 4:55
  I read about.
• 4:56
  They used behavioral data to, like,
• 4:58
  spot hidden bias in their process.
• 5:00
  And they actually increased diversity without lowering the bar.
• 5:00
  But yeah...
• 5:04
  it's that balance, right?
• 5:05
  Use the numbers-but don't forget the people behind them.
• 5:05
  Exactly.
• 5:05
  It takes
• 5:10
  discipline.
• 5:11
  You need clean, reliable data.
• 5:13
  And you've gotta keep reviewing your process.
• 5:13
  Look at what's working.
• 5:17
  Talk to your team.
• 5:19
  Talk to candidates.
• 5:19
  The best organizations treat hiring as an ongoing
• 5:23
  system.
• 5:24
  Always optimizing.
• 5:26
  Always learning.
• 5:26
  And they never lose sight of the human experience.
• 5:30
  That's how you build real trust.
• 5:32
  That's how you build teams that last.
• 5:32
  I love that.
• 5:35
  It's not just about, like, filling seats-it's about building something
• 5:38
  sustainable.
• 5:38
  And with all the tools we have now... the companies that combine
• 5:42
  data with empathy?
• 5:43
  Yeah.
• 5:43
  Those are the ones that win.
• 5:43
  Couldn't have said it better.
• 5:43
  Hiring smarter
• 5:49
  isn't about being perfect.
• 5:50
  It's about being intentional-with the right tools,
• 5:53
  the right mindset, and the right people.
• 5:53
  And if you're thinking,
• 5:57
  "Okay, I want to start doing this better"-OAD can help.
• 5:57
  You can actually
• 6:01
  book a free demo at O-A-D-DOT-A-I-and see how tools like their behavioral
• 6:06
  survey can make your hiring process... just work.
• 6:09
  For everyone involved.
• 6:09
  That's right.
• 6:11
  You don't have to rely on guesswork anymore.
• 6:14
  There's science behind better hiring-and OAD's bringing that science
• 6:18
  to life.
• 6:18
  Alright, we're gonna wrap it there for today.
• 6:21
  We'll be back soon with more from The Science of Leading.
• 6:24
  Until then... keep learning, keep growing,
• 6:26
  and please-stop trusting your gut.
• 6:26
  Goodbye,
• 6:29
  Claire.
• 6:29
  Goodbye, everyone.