The Most Important Decision
‘We choose our spouses. We choose our bosses. We choose our friends. We choose the people who work with us. We choose our nannies. We choose our lawyers. We choose our doctors. It is definitely worthwhile investing in learning, because this is not rocket science, but it requires discipline.’ Claudio Fernández-Aráoz
Claudio Fernández-Aráoz has spend his entire adult life in the business of identifying talent. He has interviewed over 20,000 executives. What has he learnt about seeing talent in people?
Jim Rohn says we will become the average of the 5 people that we spend most time with. A successful life depends greatly on attracting and identifying those people. How much time have you dedicated to crafting your ability to identify talent?
His First Lesson: People Lie
We lie. It is not malicious, it is natural. Some people lie more, some people lie less; but we all have a tendency to see an optimistic perspective on our actions. In an interview, you have to understand that two people are selling to each other – one selling themselves, one selling the job.
BusinessWeek asked 2000 senior executives: within your own organisation in your own level, are you in the top ten percent, yes or no? 90% believed they were in the top ten 10%. That’s why you need to check references!
Finding Your Top Executives: The Four Key Attributes
So when it comes to key leadership assets, what should you be looking for? Claudio has signposted four values common to all high-potential executives:
- Curiosity – asking questions, taking genuine interest, and seeking new knowledge and experience
- Insight – making innovative connections between existing concepts, offering fresh perspectives
- Engagement – the ability to use emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect people
- Determination – the commitment to persevering in spite of adversity
Read more at Enviable Workplace blog.