Member Article

Build a Tribe

Hire for the long run with this 7 step approach

It’s 2:03 pm on Monday and I am dreading the next 27 minutes. Maybe I can end this meeting in 20 minutes, without being a jackass. Either way, in start-up world, 20 minutes seems like an eternity when you are the chief, cook and bottle washer. We are growing so fast, it means I have alot of meetings like this — interviews with the wrong people.

I drive this process, I am the designer and owner. I like being hands on. But, this approach is killing my business. I can’t go back to hands off — it means I end up in lots of meetings where I am trying to coach and support hopeless hires. Wait, what?! How do tech companies do it? Am I really confined to this hiring treadmill from hell?

No.

Fast forward 7 years and 4 businesses. A management consultancy, hot-desking business, a school, and a conference/meeting space. We don’t really have many interviews with the wrong candidates or support (firing) sessions with hires gone wrong. What did we do? We decided slow and considered was better than fast and furious. We adopted and adapted some clever big company approaches to help us find and hire the best people for our small but growing businesses. The best people are not always the most qualified, they’re the people who believe what you believe and will sweat blood with you when it’s needed. They are your tribe.

If you (1) want to build a tribe to make your idea a reality, and (2) you don’t accept that after the first hire it’s just a treadmill of highly inefficient effort; I suggest you have a look at the following 7 step process we have deployed with some pretty great results. No, it’s not a magic bullet, but it just might be better than what you have in place today.

7 Steps to Hiring A Tribe

Step 1: Advertise for Attitude. Yes, include the specifics of the job, but give a hint as to what kind of person should apply. You can train for 90% of what you need. You can’t train for attitude.

Step 2: Filter the CVs. But do this with an eye towards interesting experiences or helpful training. Look for the hidden messages of grit. This is something you can’t train into people. Grit might look like night school while holding down a full time job, working in tough environments or simply taking a leap in their experience.

Step 3: The Phone Interview. No more than 5 minutes, max. Can they communicate? That’s what you are seeking. You know 75% of all problems with your teams will be the result of poor communication. It’s the same for high flying smarty pants consultants as it is for a sweaty dishwasher. Get a member of staff who is used to using the phone to carry out this simple exercise.

That reminds me, you could do worse than implement this book’s guiding principles to keep your company communications moving in the right direction: The Four Agreements: Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (Toltec Wisdom)

— Yes, it’s a bit hippy. But, it works. Trust me. —

Don’t think you will read the entire book? Cliff notes here. But, I am getting off track…

Step 4: The Mini-Interview. If they pass the communications test, they now need to pass the turkey test. Do they practice acceptable hygiene? Can they engage with you in a short space of time? Will they make the effort to come to your business for a 15 minute interview? Commitment begins to surface at this stage. This interview is conducted by a trusted member of the tribe. Their role is much like that of a slow motion speed dater, not to evaluate the candidate for skills, just vibe. A collection of questions regarding more intangible parts of the CV work well here.

We are approaching step 5 and it’s been nearly 6 weeks since your candidate has sent in her CV. Yes, 6 weeks. You are testing their desire to work with you. And yes, I realise, maybe their patience. It’s important to keep regular and clear communications flowing with your candidate so they feel part of the process — perhaps make this communication human in nature — feeling their pain. A chance to let your culture shine through.

Step 5: The Big Interview. Now we get down to business. We find out if the skills match what is listed on the CV. We probe and query in a supportive manner, grilling here only weeds out and pushes the psychopaths forward. I am not going to fill space here telling you a load of great interview questions, but suffice it to say they are mostly questions you ask humans — not robots. Unsure what those are? Google it. But be creative. This interview is conducted by 2 persons from your tribe and it’s helpful if one is from the team who will be potentially working with the candidate. This meeting lasts 30 minutes max; 20 minutes minimum if the tribe members are happy to move the person to the next step. No need to waste time beyond a requisite number of questions. We usually use some kind of hand signal akin to Robert Redford in The Sting to signal bringing it to a close early — but only if a positive result is expected.

Ahem. You may have noticed that not a single HR person has been involved in the interviews to date. Start-ups usually don’t have the luxury and HR is better deployed in training the teams to follow the process — the candidates work with the team members in the end, not the HR person(s).

Step 6: The Case Study Interview. You are now down to your last couple of candidates for the position — hopefully. This step seems counter-intuitive if you are not applying to Mckinsey, but I can assure you it is one of the most valuable steps for EVERY level of hire in your company. Any position in the company can conduct a case-study interview. Successful candidates from Step 5 (The Big Interview) are sent an email with a case study (hint: don’t send a finance case-study to the receptionist hire) to review and prepare an answer in advance for this interview. Again, you are supportive, but probing in your questions so you can get behind the mask. The case study method is good because their are usually a number of good answers. This meeting is conducted by the team leader of the potential hire’s destination and another team member from outside the destination team. You can bring the HR person in for this interview if you like.

Step 7: The CEO or Top Dog Interview. Woohoo! Your preferred candidate is now meeting the most senior person in the company or the ambassador of culture (hopefully that’s the same person). This should be the primary Director or similar position for companies up to 500 persons. Yes, up to 500 persons, every hire should meet the top dog. In flat organisations, this could be the linchpin. In traditional larger companies, this may be someone on the senior team. The candidate is pretty much hired prior to this meeting, but this is your flight safety check for take-off.

A friend of mine had his final interview with the CEO of a company with 1,000 employees because she wanted to know every person in her care. Pretty cool if you can pull it off, but don’t make the last interview with anyone other than a top person in the company.

I can’t recall anyone getting denied at step 7, but it’s important to close with this step because your new tribe member has already shown their commitment — it’s your turn.

Yes, this process can take between 7 and 26 weeks depending on your rigour, culture, and speed to execute through the ups and downs of your business. But, consider the cost of interviewing lots of the wrong candidates or worse, getting rid of lots of wrong hires.

Good luck!

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Todd Hannula .