Every leader has made a recruitment decision they later regretted. More often than not, the warning signs were there early, we were just looking in the wrong place.
In this episode of The Lonely Leader, James Rule makes the case that recruiting the right people has very little to do with the CV in front of you, and almost everything to do with the person behind it. Drawing on his years as a chief executive in professional sport, he explains why a CV is a highlights reel, why the strongest candidates are rarely the ones who remind you of yourself, and the specific signals he looks for that no qualification will ever show you, from how someone handles failure to the care they take over the things within their control.
He also shares the single question he has asked for years to draw out what a person actually values, and why setting it alongside how someone deals with failure can tell you almost everything you need to know about their character in about four minutes.
Whether you are recruiting your first person or your fiftieth, this is a grounded, practical look at how to avoid a costly bad appointment and make a great one.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Why a CV is a highlights reel, and how to read it with the right degree of caution
• The interview trap, and why the best candidate is rarely the best interviewee
• The danger of recruiting another version of yourself, and the blind spot it creates in a team, with a nod to Matthew Syed’s Rebel Ideas and the intelligence failures around 9/11
• The signals that matter more than any qualification: presentation and self-discipline, how someone handles failure, curiosity over certainty, how they treat people who can do nothing for them, and values over culture fit
• The one question James has asked for years to reveal what a person truly values
• A simple challenge to run against your own past hires, good and bad, to spot the patterns
Accelerate your growth and development with The Lonely Leader Academy
If you want to work through some of these areas in more depth, to accelerate your learning and access tools, tactics and tips to drive performance and enhance fulfilment then check out The Lonely Leader Academy.
The Lonely Leader Academy: https://tll.academy
ENJOYED THE EPISODE?
James works with senior leaders, CEOs, and founders who want to perform at the highest level without losing what matters most in the process. If this conversation has prompted something for you professionally or personally James would genuinely love to hear from you.
You can reach him directly via LinkedIn or through the website below. Everything shared is in complete confidence.
ABOUT THE HOST
James is an experienced mentor, coach and thought leader who works with a range of clients from FTSE 100 companies, SME´s the NHS and wider public and not for profit sectors.
His twenty year career in elite sport initially as a professional rugby player but predominantly as a chief executive has given him an invaluable insight in managing the success, failures and pressures associated with leadership at the highest level.
As a high performance coach James specialises in enhancing resilience and leadership development. He is a passionate advocate of the notion that to find lasting fulfilment we need to take a holistic view of high performance.
CONNECT & CONTACT
The Lonely Leader Academy: The Lonely Leader
THIS SHOW WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LONELY LEADER MEDIA
NEWSLETTER
Sign Up to The Leadership Accelerator Newsletter for advice, inspiration and ideas, you'll also receive James' Top 10 Tips for Combating Your Fear of Public Speaking.