Who the F*** are you?

This week I listened to a cracking podcast on the excellent website www.doseofleadership.com with Richard Rierson. He was interviewing Tom Rath (author of ‘Strengths Finder 2.0’), and it was called ‘Answering “Life’s Great Question” It compelled me to reflect on the way we select and recruit people.

I’d like to think that most organisations are now genuinely pursuing a path of ‘values-based recruitment’, where people are brought in who we think will understand our mission, and the substance that underpins how we carry that out. I know that there are still plenty out there that aren’t, and they might want to have a word with themselves.

In the podcast, Tom and Richard talk about core personal values of ‘service to the community’, and ‘adding value’ – authentically contributing to the world, rather than looking solely at ‘what is in this for me?’ Doing things for other people actually helps individuals get out of their cloying head-space, and disperses stress. And as most organisations are ultimately there to provide some sort of service to others, isn’t that the sort of person we want on the team? If the organisation can, in return, make their people better people, supporting them in that mission of being helpful, and becoming expert at it, then we end up with a perfect circle; Service rewards service.

Finding people like that is difficult – but does it need to be? Look at the way most organisations recruit. Consider the whole concept of the Curriculum Vitae. It’s sterile, cold and clinical (Tom’s words). It talks about how many exams you’ve passed, where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Sure, experience and qualifications have their place; none of us want our airline pilot or surgeon to be without those.  But what does it tell us about a human being’s contribution to the world?

How can we give a person the opportunity to explain to us, “This is who I am!” And how do we let them explain how they want to make a bigger contribution to the world, leveraging the experiences that have shaped them as a person? Tom Suggests we start to get into a much more personal level. Here’s who I am, here’s what matters to me, and here’s how I think I can make a meaningful contribution to your mission. Does that give us a more authentic employee, one that we know better, and one that’s easier to call out if things aren’t right?

And perhaps, rather than setting objectives for people on their annual review, this could also be a way to get people to pay more than lip service to them? Imagine, at the start of the review period, telling someone where the organisation is going, and asking what they are going to contribute to getting it there? With a careful coaching conversation, to make sure they aren’t going to over-promise and under-deliver, they then totally own their contribution for the forthcoming year. They’ve done it in their way, with their style, within their own capacity, capability and personality.

Doesn’t that sound like a better world, for both the organisation and the individual?

Derek Flint Cert.Ed, MCIPR