Evidence of Success

Riffing on yesterday's post.  What you need to do is "Detect Evidence of Success" for both Core Values and Talent during your hiring process. 

About 13 years ago I used to present a program called "Detecting Success in Future Employees," using the theme of TV detectives and how they interviews witnesses about the crime scene.  The one I focused on in particular was Lieutenant Columbo, played so winningly by the late Peter Falk.  If you are too old to remember this television show, I suggest you go to YouTube and look up some episodes and pay particular attention to his interviews of suspects and witnesses.  His technique was brilliant and nailing the suspect by getting to the small bits of evidence of wrong doing, catching people in their facts that didn't add up.

For employees, just flop it around to detecting evidence of the desired behaviors that represent the talents and values you desire.  And then ask more and more questions to catch their facts so that the do or don't add up.  If they don't add up, don't hire.  If they do, continue the process. 

This is called behavioral interviewing.  Which none of us are as disciplined as Columbo is.  The simple formula is this: Tell me about a time when you ........(did exhibited integrity, or handled a difficult sales encounter).  Let them talk.  Nail it down with follow up questions to get the facts.  If they can't give the facts, they didn't really do it.  If they can, all you do then is make sure there story matches your talent and values standards. 

Check out Columbo's style here