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What is an A Player? For one thing, he or she is not just a superstar. Think of an A Player as the right superstar, a talented person who can do the job you need done, while fitting in with the culture of your company. We define an A Player this way: a candidate who has at least a 90 percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates could achieve.

The four steps are:
Scorecard. The scorecard is a document that describes exactly what you want a person to accomplish in a role. It is not a job description, but rather a set of outcomes and competencies that define a job done well. By defining A performance for a role, the scorecard gives you a clear picture of what the person you seek needs to be able to accomplish.
Scorecards describe the mission for the position, outcomes that must be accomplished, and competencies that fit with both the culture of the company and the role.
Source. Finding great people is getting harder, but it is not impossible. Systematic sourcing before you have slots to fill ensures you have high-quality candidates waiting when you need them.
Select. Selecting talent in the A Method involves a series of structured interviews that allow you to gather the relevant facts about a person so you can rate your scorecard and make an informed hiring decision. These structured interviews break the voodoo hiring spell.
Sell. Once you identify people you want on your team through selection, you need to persuade them to join. Selling the right way ensures you avoid the biggest pitfalls that cause the very people you want the most to take their talents elsewhere. It also protects you from the biggest heartbreak of all— losing the perfect candidate at the eleventh hour.

One of the most consistent findings from our interviews with dozens upon dozens of CEOs and top executives is that hiring all-around athletes rarely works. By definition, they are generalists. That’s their charm. They are good at many things and can wear lots of different hats. But job requirements are rarely general. If you’ve defined the position correctly from the outset, you should be looking for narrow but deep competence.
Sure, we all want our employees to be great at everything, but in fact few are, and those who are may well demand higher salaries that make us pay for “features” that we don’t need. Remember, it’s all about the specific skill set you need, when you need it.

Scorecard
Mission: meaningful, written in plain language, easy to understand.
Ex. To serve as a visionary leader who helps the bank capture market share from the competition by analyzing the market and devising successful new strategies and product offerings.”
Outcomes: describes what a person needs to accomplish in a role. 3-8 outcomes ranked by order of importance.
Competencies: behavioural fit, how you expect the person to operate,
Critical Competencies for a Manager “A” Player
Efficiency. Able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort.
Honesty/ integrity. Does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not just what is politically expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.
Organization and planning. Plans, organizes, schedules, and budgets in an efficient, productive manner. Focuses on key priorities.
Aggressiveness. Moves quickly and takes a forceful stand without being overly abrasive.
Follow-through on commitments. Lives up to verbal and written agreements, regardless of personal cost.
Intelligence. Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly and proficiently understand and absorb new information.
Analytical skills. Able to structure and process qualitative or quantitative data and draw insightful conclusions from it. Exhibits a probing mind and achieves penetrating insights.
Attention to detail. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a project.
Persistence. Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done.
Proactivity. Acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to the company.
Other abilities you may consider
Ability to hire A Players (for managers). Sources, selects, and sells A Players to join a company.
Ability to develop people (for managers). Coaches people in their current roles to improve performance, and prepares them for future roles.
Flexibility/ adaptability. Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change.
Calm under pressure. Maintains stable performance when under heavy pressure or stress.
Strategic thinking/ visioning. Able to see and communicate the big picture in an inspiring way. Determines opportunities and threats through comprehensive analysis of current and future trends.
Creativity/ innovation. Generates new and innovative approaches to problems.
Enthusiasm. Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has a can-do attitude.
Work ethic. Possesses a strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done. Has a track record of working hard.
High standards. Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing short of the best.
Listening skills. Lets others speak and seeks to understand their viewpoints.
Openness to criticism and ideas. Often solicits feedback and reacts calmly to criticism or negative feedback.
Communication. Speaks and writes clearly and articulately without being overly verbose or talkative. Maintains this standard in all forms of written communication, including e-mail.
Teamwork. Reaches out to peers and cooperates with supervisors to establish an overall collaborative working relationship.
Persuasion. Able to convince others to pursue a course of action.
Bill Johnson, former Heinz CEO:
Chemistry is always important for both the individual and the company.If I don’t have good chemistry with you, and you don’t have good chemistry with me, then skip it. Connecting with them personally is important. That becomes obvious in my initial conversations with a candidate.
Number two is commitment. Theirs to you and yours to them. That is a difficult thing to assess, but it really matters. I want people who are committed.
Third, are they coachable? I underestimated this earlier in my career. You can pass on learning and shortcut their development if they are.
Number four is, do they have their ego under control? Are they prepared to address the problem? If they are thinking about the next job, they will fail. They must be focused on the job they have.
Number five, do they have the requisite intellect?”

Source: in order of effectiveness
Referrals from business network
Referrals from personal network
Referrals from employees
Internal recruiter
Recruiting researcher
External recruiter

Whenever you meet somebody new, ask this simple, powerful question: “Who are the most talented people you know that I should hire?” Talented people know talented people, and they’re almost always glad to pass along one another’s names. Capture those names on a list, and make a point of calling a few new people from the list every week. Stay in touch with those who seem to have the most promise.
When you are done with the call, assuming you were even moderately impressed with what you heard, be sure to ask the key follow-up question: “Now that you know a little about me, who are the most talented people you know who might be a good fit for my company?”

Hold employees accountable for sourcing people through their networks, and everyone will benefit when talent flows into the business.

Select: need consistent system to collect facts and data about the candidate’s performance track record
The screening interview (phone)
Cuáles son tus metas en tu carrera profesional? Que quieres lograr en los prox 5 años?
En el ámbito laboral, para que cosas eres realmente bueno?
Para qué cosas no eres bueno o no disfrutas? Si avanzas en este proceso, hablaremos con tus jefes anteriores - qué cosas dirán ellos que no eres bueno o no te gusta hacer?
Quiénes fueron tus últimos 5 jefes? Cuando hablemos con ellos, qué score del 0 al 10 le pondrán a tu desempeño?
The Who interview:
Hacer las siguientes preguntas por cada rol, en orden cronológico.
Cuáles fueron los objetivos que te dieron al iniciar el rol?
Cuáles son los logros que más te enorgullecen?
[A Players tend to talk about outcomes linked to expectations. B and C Players talk generally about events, people they met, or aspects of the job they liked without ever getting into results.
Coméntame sobre momentos difíciles durante ese rol
Con quién trabajabas?
Quién era tu jefe? Cómo te fue trabajando con el/ella? Cuando hable con él/ ella que me dirá que eran tus principales fortalezas y áreas de mejora?
Cómo era el equipo que heredaste? Qué score le pondrías del 0-10? Qué cambios hiciste? contraste o botaste a alguien? Qué score le pondrías del 0-10 en el momento que te fuiste?
Por qué te fuiste de ese trabajo?
Tácticas:
Ser curioso! Indagar más
Cuéntame más
Y luego qué pasó? Y luego qué hiciste?
Cómo fue eso?
Cómo lograste eso?
Qué pasó exactamente?
Interrumpe con empatía cuando el candidato se desvía. Ejemplo:
Candidato: “Cuando estuve en Medellín hasta logré ver un juego de fútbol de Millonarios, y conocí a…”
Entrevistador: “Esos juegos de fútbol son épicos en ese estadio, pero me interesa volver al punto de tu proyecto en Cali”. Decirlo de manera genuina con una sonrisa genuina para no bajarle el ánimo al candidato.
The 3 P’s Questions
How did your performance compare to the previous year’s performance?
How did your performance compare to the plan?
How did your performance compare to that of peers?
Push vs Pull
People who perform well are generally pulled to greater opportunities. People who perform poorly are often pushed out of their jobs. Do not hire anybody who has been pushed out of 20 percent or more of their jobs.
The focused interview
The focused interview is similar to the commonly used behavioral interview with one major difference: it is focused on the outcomes and competencies of the scorecard, not some vaguely defined job description or manager’s intuition. You have a good idea who you want by this point, but you still need to be as certain as you can that candidate and position are a perfect match. The focused interview is, in essence, your odds enhancer.
Split the outcomes and competencies amongst 3 interviewers. If you defined 6 outcomes and 6 competencies, then each person takes 2 of each.
Also use this to gauge cultural fit.
Formato:
El objetivo de esta entrevista es conversar sobre tu experiencia ______ [escoger un outcome o experiencia específica que estás buscando]
Cuáles son tus logros más relevantes en este área durante tu carrera?
Cuáles han sido tus mayores fracasos y aprendizajes en el área?
The reference interview
First, pick the right references. Review your notes from the Who Interview and pick the bosses, peers, and subordinates with whom you would like to speak. Don’t just use the reference list the candidate gives you.
Second, ask the candidate to contact the references to set up the calls. Some companies have a policy that prevents employees from serving as references. You may hit that brick wall if you call a reference directly, but we have found that you will have twice the chance of actually getting to talk to a reference if you ask the candidate to set up the interview— whether it is during business hours or after hours at home.
Third, conduct the right number of reference interviews. We recommend that you personally do about four and ask your colleagues to do three, for a total of seven.
Formato:
Bajo qué contexto trabajaste con esta persona?
Cuáles fueron sus fortalezas?
En ese tiempo, cuáles eran sus oportunidades de mejora?
Del 1 al 10 cómo calificarías el desempeño de la persona durante ese rol? Por qué le darías esa calificación?
La persona mencionó durante la entrevista que durante ese rol le costo _______. Me puedes contar un poco más acerca de eso?
Cuidado con:
Respuestas cortas y vagas
Oraciones “si… entonces”. Ej. Si estás buscando alguien que no se queje cuando le toca trabajar una noche, entonces Fulanito te puede servir”
Titubeo al responder
Scores 7 y por debajo.
Final remarks
Red flags: While none of these red flags in itself is sufficient for a thumbs-down, they do tend to correlate highly with people who, while they appear to be A Players, sink down to the B and C level once a hire is made.
Candidate does not mention past failures.
Candidate exaggerates his or her answers.
Candidate takes credit for the work of others.
Candidate speaks poorly of past bosses.
Candidate cannot explain job moves.
People most important to candidate are unsupportive of change.
For managerial hires, candidate has never had to hire or fire anybody.
Candidate seems more interested in compensation and benefits than in the job itself.
Candidate tries too hard to look like an expert.
Candidate is self-absorbed.
“Winning too much”. I would look out for people in the hiring process who boast about winning battles that do not matter that much.
Making destructive comments about previous colleagues is a huge red flag. Because once this person works for you, he or she will make the same needless sarcastic comments about you!
Making excuses. Ask people what their challenges were. If they say that their biggest challenges were not their fault
The excessive need to ‘be me.’ Listen for comments like ‘That’s just me, I’m not organized.’ ‘That’s just me, I’m impatient.’ ‘That’s just me, I don’t include other people in decisions. That’s just the way I am.’ Beware. Somebody who has an excessive need to ‘be me’ is telling you that they are not open to adapt their style to fit your culture or your company and should not be hired.”
Skill-Will Bull’s Eyes: How will you know when you have hit the skill-will bull’s eye? When (1) you are 90 percent or more confident that a candidate can get the job done because his or her skills match the outcomes on your scorecard, and (2) you are 90 percent or more confident that the candidate will be a good fit because his or her will matches the mission and competencies of the role.

Selling
Address the 5 F’s
Fit ties together the company’s vision, needs, and culture with the candidate’s goals, strengths, and values. “Here is where we are going as a company. Here is how you fit in.”
Family takes into account the broader trauma of changing jobs. “What can we do to make this change as easy as possible for your family?”
Freedom is the autonomy the candidate will have to make his or her own decisions. “I will give you ample freedom to make decisions, and I will not micromanage you.”
Nothing sells freedom more than giving candidates free access to the people around you so they can ask whatever they want about your style.
Fortune reflects the stability of your company and the overall financial upside. “If you accomplish your objectives, you will likely make [compensation amount] over the next five years.”
Fun describes the work environment and personal relationships the candidate will make. “We like to have a lot of fun around here. I think you will find this is a culture you will really enjoy.”
What’s fun, of course, varies from person to person. In John Zillmer’s case, fun was the chance to use his talents and experience to maximum advantage.
The 5 waves
When you source
When you interview
The time between your offer and the candidate’s acceptance
The time between the candidate’s acceptance and his or her first day
The new hire’s first one hundred days on the job

General characteristics of a Great CEO:
Lambs: Demonstrate openness to feedback, possess great listening skills, and treat people with respect. They graze together feeding on feedback. 57% success rate
Cheetahs: move quickly, stay focused, act aggressively, work hard, demonstrate persistence, and set high standards and hold people accountable to them. 100% success rate.

Conventional wisdom holds that the sort of emotional intelligence Lambs show is the critically important leadership quality. In fact, our analysis argues otherwise. Emotional intelligence is important, but only when matched with the propensity to get things done. Too many executives have fallen into the trap of accentuating their Lamb skills at the expense of their Cheetah qualities. They work hard to stay in tune with their employees. They’re well liked on the shop floor and in the boardroom. There’s only one problem: they don’t produce value at anywhere near the rate Cheetahs do. This isn’t to say that Cheetahs lack soft skills. To the contrary, they are talented people whose soft skills played a critical role in their ascent to the top job. The difference, though, is that Cheetahs know when it is time to stop asking for feedback and to attack.

By FS.

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