For small businesses and startup companies preparing to hire new employees in 2012, Mark Murphy, the chief executive officer of Leadership IQ, has some sobering news: Nearly half of them will fail before hitting their second anniversary, and most of the time it’s not because they don’t have the right skills — it’s because they don’t have the right attitude.
Based on three years of research on 20,000 new hires, Murphy outlines a new method for selecting high performers with the right attitude to thrive in your company’s culture in his new book “Hiring for Attitude” (McGraw-Hill, 2011). He recently shared some of his key concepts with BusinessNewsDaily.
Mark Murphy: When managers refer to hiring the “right people,” they typically mean “highly skilled individuals who can carry out the duties of the position.” But when our study followed 20,000 new hires, 46% of them left their jobs within 18 months, and 89% of the time, it was for attitude-related rather than skill-related reasons. Not that skills are unimportant, but when the leading indicator of a new hire’s success or failure is attitude, it is obvious that attitude is what we should be looking for when hiring. These people failed, as evidenced by their termination, subpar performance evaluations, or written up letters. These unsuccessful hires had deficiencies in their ability to be coached, emotional intelligence, motivation, and temperament.
MM: The “right” attitude is as distinctive as the group it belongs to. For instance, both Southwest Airlines and the Ritz-Carlton are excellent businesses, but the mindsets guiding each one’s success are as dissimilar as night and day. Additionally, it goes without saying that an individual who values competition and independence may be the ideal fit for a commission-based sales force that relies on lone hunters. However, that same personality will not succeed in a team environment that values collaboration and having fun.
BND: What are the warning signs you should watch out for? Can a job candidate successfully fake attitude?
Absolutely, which is why it is crucial to pinpoint the precise attitudes you are seeking, develop trustworthy interview questions that accurately reflect attitude, and have trustworthy answer criteria by which to assess applicant responses to interview questions
Leadership IQ is conducting some really cutting-edge textual analysis research to evaluate the linguistic differences between high and low performers that can indicate when someone is acting untruthfully about their attitude. For instance, high performers are 40% more likely than low performers to use past tense verbs when answering questions about past experiences. High performers are willing to share their attitude with you because they have relevant experience to share.
MM: There are two factors at play here. First, because teams and work groups are smaller, the harm that someone with a bad attitude can cause is more pronounced. Ask each of your top performers if they would prefer to work with someone who has a bad attitude or with a short staff as part of this crucial exercise. Every time we do this, people always say “short-staffed. ”.
Second, there’s tremendous opportunity cost. How many good chances are there for new purchases, products, etc. , get overlooked while the incorrect person occupies a seat that a real high performer could or should occupy?
Brown Shorts are the distinctive attitudes that set your company apart from the competition. The name “Brown Shorts” honors Southwest Airlines and their distinctively fun culture and is based on a tale I overheard from a former Southwest executive about a round of hiring for new pilots (typically serious people dressed formally in black suits, etc.). ). The Southwest interviewer invited this serious group to settle in and get comfortable in the brown Bermuda shorts that were a part of the Southwest summer uniform, but many of the pilots politely declined the invitation because they thought it was ridiculous. And that made Southwest realize that although these people might be excellent pilots, they wouldn’t work well in the company’s laid-back culture.
Once you identify your Brown Shorts attitudes, all you have to do is convert them into Brown Shorts questions. For instance, consider learning that high performers at your company proactively pick up new skills when asked to do something they don’t know how to do, while low performers passively complain and throw up their hands. The next step is to turn the statement into a question, such as “Could you tell me about a time you were given an assignment and didn’t know what to do?”
Because it feels more like a conversation than an interview, we begin with “Could you” rather than “Tell me.” In response, candidates are less guarded and share more. And we get rid of any red flags, like asking a question with the phrase “and what did you do?” Interviewers may find it unsettling to leave the question open-ended because it could lead to awkward silences. But it’s the secret to identifying high- and low-performers.
One of the most fundamental measures of an interview question’s effectiveness is the degree to which it distinguishes between high and low performers. Surprisingly, some of the most popular interview questions—such as “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your weaknesses?”—are also some of the least effective. However, almost every candidate will respond “I work too hard, I care too much, and I have a perfectionist streak” when asked “what are your weaknesses.” “Asking questions to which everyone has a ready-made or canned response won’t reveal someone’s true attitude,”
MM: Currently, the average time spent interviewing candidates by companies is about 60 minutes. It’s always a good idea to double or triple that amount. Having said that, most interviewers claim they only need five or six Brown Shorts questions to run a successful interview during the typical 60-minute interview.
MM: Easy. They are happy and confident to wear your Brown Shorts. And they quickly join the ranks of your high performers. Credit:
How to Crush a Job Interview #shorts
46% of new hires are either fired or disciplined within the first 18 months, according to a Leadership IQ study. And in a startling 89% of those instances, attitude—poor motivation, a bad temperament, or emotional issues—are the root cause of the behavior rather than incompetence.
Mark Murphy, founder and CEO of Leadership IQ, is one of the countrys leading management and communication experts. Mark has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and more. He has also appeared on ABCs 20/20, CBS News, Fox Business News and NPR, and has lectured at Harvard Business School, Yale University and more. His clients include Microsoft, IBM, GE, MasterCard, Merck, AstraZeneca, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins and hundreds more. Mark is also the author of several best-selling books including HARD Goals, Hundred Percenters, Generation Y and the New Rules of Management, and The Deadly Sins of Employee Retention.
You can teach technical skills, but you can’t teach attitude, according to Herb Kelleher. Hiring for Attitude is a fantastic new session created by Business Management Daily in collaboration with a top consultant and speaker to assist you in making great hires every time.
Mark also focuses on Southwest Airlines hiring process. During the interview process, they give pilots the chance to try on the airline’s signature brown shorts. Those who accept show they share Southwests culture of fun. Those who decline are shown the door.
No matter how skilled you are, we won’t hire you if you don’t have a good attitude. We can change skill levels through training. We cant change attitude. “.
What the heck are Brown Shorts? They’re the distinctive attitudes that set your company apart from the competition. Brown Shorts is a very odd name that honors Southwest Airlines and their distinctive fun culture.
These businesses must differentiate their goods and services more clearly than they do their job openings, in my opinion. After all, their enormous sales volume would imply a persuasive sales message.
The name was inspired by a tale I was told by a former Southwest executive about a round of hiring for new pilots (usually serious people wearing black suits, etc.). ). This serious group was invited by the Southwest interviewer to settle in with a pair of Bermuda shorts (brown in our tale).
If your answer is one or more, then you’re probably not giving the high performing stars you want much incentive to apply for a job with your company. It’s an interesting exercise to read your own job ads and ask: “How many other companies could say the identical thing that we’re saying?”
Consider writing something novel like, “Our staff members collaborate and share credit.” In fact, glory hogs don’t last very long here. Some people will object to this Brown Shorts terminology and say, “If I’m not collaborative, that trait will turn me off, and I won’t apply. ” To which I say: “Great!”.
A great skill is being able to ask insightful interview questions. However, an even better skill is the ability to accurately assess the responses to those questions. Here’s what I mean. I know it’s a little out there, but I’ve been told (by people who know) that it’s a great physics question: “Can black hole evaporation be reconciled with quantum mechanics?” If I were to pose that question to a group of physicists at a cocktail party, I would come across as very intelligent. I’m afraid that I don’t know the answer, and I doubt that physicists do either, so I can’t really evaluate and assess any responses. I can’t tell the difference between a fantastic response, a believable response, and a terrible response.
Reasons to hire for attitude
FAQ
What are brown shorts questions?
Your Brown Shorts, in a nutshell, are a list of the key characteristics that characterize your best people as well as those of the individuals who will not thrive in your particular culture. Do your high performers seek or avoid individual recognition? Are they collaborative or individualistic?
Why should we hire you in short?
First of all, I am confident that I can immediately benefit your company because I possess all the qualifications and experience listed in the job description. My passion for the field and my experience managing successful projects for Fortune 500 companies are what motivate me to succeed.
Why should we hire you examples?
I have accumulated relevant experience and skills over the years, which I will bring to your organization. I have also put a lot of effort into developing my teamwork and communication skills, which I will use in my future career, which would be in your company if I were chosen for the position.
Should companies hire managers on attitude or aptitude and why?
The most frequent explanations given by employers for early contract termination include inability to receive or act on feedback, a lack of motivation, and inappropriate temperaments. The likelihood of this happening is significantly decreased if they hire for attitude, which saves the business time, money, and effort.
