Part 5 in a Series on Essentials of Modern Leadership
The previous installment in this series on the essentials of modern leadership, 鈥淧laying the Cards You鈥檙e Dealt,鈥� is based on a manager鈥檚 ability to keenly assess inherited personnel and procedures while moving toward maximum productivity. Let鈥檚 now envision a situation where you鈥檙e assembling a staff from scratch. You 鈥渉old all the cards鈥� and can recruit employees who will best fulfill your workplace objectives. How do you go about building the perfect team?
Hire Smart People
So, how do you
In my 20-plus years of leadership in the sectors of operations and finance and in my current role as executive director of the USF Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education, I鈥檓 grateful to say my teams have enjoyed great success. has been a formative reason.
I鈥檒l share what I firmly believe is an important dual consideration in the hiring process. I鈥檝e always advised my managers to bring on people who are 1) smart and 2) a good fit.
It might sound obvious to say you should seek smart people to fill your jobs, but I鈥檓 not necessarily speaking about looking for high GPAs and STEM capacities. There鈥檚 much more to the process.
The Kind of 鈥楽mart鈥� that Matters in Hiring
It鈥檚 important for me to clarify what I mean by smart people:
- Smart employees can intelligently make or defend positions and articulate them in a logical way that others can comprehend. They grasp broad concepts, and their understanding goes beyond echoing formulas and trade jargon.
- Smart employees can think on their feet and problem-solve. Life in the world of business moves fast and is unpredictable. Smart employees will sense when situations require a timely shift in action and how to bring it about.
- Smart employees can work from abstract ideas or strategies and turn them into actionable plans that can get desired results. The value of this ability to envision and execute can鈥檛 be overstated.
Make Sure Your Team鈥檚 Talents Fit the Game
As a teenager and young adult, I played a lot of pickup basketball. The first several times I captained a team, I chose the tallest available players because height looked to be the greatest strategic advantage.
With time, I realized that height was a plus but not the game-changer. I needed people who understood the fundamentals of the game, who could improvise and visualize the court better than others.
Aptitude for the game is harder to detect than a genetic gift such as height that puts a player closer to the hoop and a win. So, if you are good enough to find and recruit players with the heart and a head for the game, the wins will come, even when the game is on a corporate court.
It takes smart players to consistently get wins for your team. It鈥檚 up to you to know what the 鈥渟mart鈥� you need looks like so you can find people who are a good fit. Take the height, too, if you can get it.
Stay Smart by Honing Your Skills at USF
Sharing expertise in human resources is just part of what USF does in its interactions with professionals and in partnership with corporations.
To learn more about USF鈥檚 dedication to interacting with professionals and advancing careers, explore the university鈥檚 Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education. Visit the CTPE website or contact us.
Mark Koulianos is director of USF鈥檚 Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education and a 20-plus-year veteran of the corporate world. .