Topgrading

INTRODUCTION: Of 50 competencies used in Topgrading, Resourcefulness is by far the most important, yet as parents we actively stifle resourcefulness.  This article is the first in a series regarding how to build resourcefulness into 2-18 year olds.  It’s Chapter One of Smart Parenting:  How to Raise Happy, Can-Do Kids (my co-author is Dr. Kate Smart Mursau, family therapist).

Click here for Chapter 1.

Recommended Resource: For dozens of fun, time-tested activities to help kids of all ages become can-do kids, get the full Smart Parenting:  How to Raise Happy, Can-Do Kids by clicking here.

Your interest in Topgrading has no doubt been the same as mine – business.  But a lot of Topgraders have shared their experiences Topgrading in all aspects of their life.  In my big, fat book Topgrading:  How Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People I make reference to “Topgrading your life,” but it’s time for some more examples.

Bottom line:  life can be a heck of a lot more enjoyable by applying Topgrading principles to surround ourselves with nothing but A players.

RECOMMENDATION:  Before hiring anyone (including vendors), here’s the ultimate QUICK TORC.  (TORC is Threat of Reference Check.)  Say, “I don’t want to waste your time, so let me tell you my basic hiring requirement – I’d like you to arrange for personal reference calls with (6) people you’ve worked with including (3) in the past year, and I expect ratings of Very Good or Excellent.  Is that okay with you?”  If not, end the conversation.

Here are some examples:

1.  Cleaning ladies. Most of us try out cleaning services and if we find out they are competent, honest, and friendly we keep them.  But if some jewelry is missing, cleaning is sloppy, or there is a negative tone to interactions, we replace them … after headaches and lost time.

Topgraders get referrals from neighbors (or Angie’s List, a wonderful networking web site to get ratings of people you might hire) and perform an abbreviated Topgrading Interview.  Begin by letting them know that before hiring them it’s essential that THEY arrange reference calls with several clients; C player cleaners will drop out fast, and A players will happily provide all the references you want.

Then in an abbreviated Topgrading Interview nail down the complete work history for at least the past decade, asking about successful and unsuccessful client experiences.  If you’re inclined to hire them, YOU pick which clients in the past decade YOU would like to talk with, and be sure to include a couple that seemed negative.

2.  Nannies. In my son Geoff’s best-selling book Who:  The A Method of Hiring (which of course is Topgrading) he talks about how he used a screening service for a nannie, tried one out after a shallow interview, and … saw their 2 year old running down the driveway toward the street.  The nannie made excuses.

So Geoff and Leslie put the next candidates through the full Topgrading Interview and reference check process, required nothing short of rave reviews for this crucial job, and for 3 years have had the super A+ player nannie of the universe, Jenna.

3.  Tours. Before putting out good money to join a tour, insist that they provide 4 references with people who took the tour in the past year.  If you hear, “But we can’t disclose confidential client information,” that’s BS!  Say, “Of course not, but please email them saying someone won’t sign up for the tour without talking to 4 references, and would you be kind enough to talk with Mrs. Smith?”  Of course they would!

4.  Buying a house. Sixteen years ago my wife and I were very busy and didn’t have the time to supervise a house being built (risky, huh?).  We asked around for great builders (using your Network is useful), a friend recommended theirs, and we met him and we were impressed.

The potential deal breaker was references (and one friend’s reference shouldn’t be enough).  For house building even a lousy builder could probably come up with a couple of pleased customers.  So I said, “Could I go through your Rolodex of people you’ve built houses for in the past 3 years and pick out 5?  Then you could call them and ask if they’d talk with me, and if the references are positive, we’re ready to hire you.”

All 5 were rave reviews and the house was built with only tiny issues, all of which were corrected fast.

5.  Spouse. What?  Topgrade your spouse?  Yes – about 10 clients have told me they are convinced their chances of a successful marriage were better because they learned so much about the RISKS in marrying someone BEFORE tying the knot?  Their methods were all quite similar.

(This could be a TV reality series!)  Okay, here it is – each talked with former spouses and significant others.  As weird as this seems, all said it was helpful to have a clearer understanding of the psychological baggage of the other and the likely mis-alignment of values and needs in some ways … and to work out ways of resolving differences which (sure enough!) materialized after marriage.  Weird maybe, but mature and quite sophisticated, too.

6.  Vendors and Part Timers. Just because someone isn’t a full time employee doesn’t mean they won’t mess up your business.   My Office Manager Margaret and her AA Kerri went through the full Topgrading hiring process (of course!).

I’m about to spend some money on a software project and I’ve made it clear – no matter how eager I am to work with someone who sounds terrific, I WILL talk with at least 3 clients with similar projects before signing contracts.

When do you not Topgrade?  The general rule is – if someone is working with us 25% of their time (or more), we Topgrade.  Or, it might be 10% but crucial, such as accountants or attorneys.

7.  Doctors. Topgraders are fanatic about reference checking docs, but it’s hard – docs are pretty good at covering for each other.  Clients suggest forming personal relationships, so that they will give you their true opinion about a colleague.  And nurses and office administrators can be a terrific source of honest information, so treat them extremely well and when it comes down to a life and death situation ask, “Confidentially, Joan, if this was your mother would (your boss) do this operation, get someone else do it, or not do it at this time?”

8.  Kids. Huh?  Topgrade your kids?   Yep.  My daughter, Dr. Kate Smart Mursau, and I wrote a book on this topic.  The book is Smart Parenting:  How to Raise Happy, Can-Do Kids, but the original title was Topgrade Your Kids.  (Kate didn’t like the title for some reason!)  We feel parents not only spoil their kids with too much stuff but they make too many decisions for them and overprotect them, denying them the one most important of all life skills – the most important competency ALL A players have – resourcefulness.  Our advice:  look for ways every day to coach your child to make great decisions in every aspect of life.

SUMMARY:  To give yourself the gift of more discretionary time and more of a stress-free personal life, use modified Topgrading Interviews and thorough reference checks (with people YOU choose to talk with) and when it comes to your kids, using Topgrading coaching principles to help them become savvy, can-do kids who lead, act responsibly, and generally make great choices.

FEATURED PRODUCT: Need a refresher on how to do Topgrading Interviews and reference checks?  Consider investing in the 1-hour hiring video, The Hiring Advantage, available in on-line and hard copy DVD.  Click here for information.

Bob Corlett, CEO of Staffing Advisors, a retained search firm, was critical of Topgrading in two entries on his blog, The Staffing Advisor. His main criticisms are that it is too hard to identify exactly what an A player is, the Topgrading Interview is too much of an interrogation, and the Topgrading selection process is too cumbersome for smaller companies.

Here is the original post that contains Brad’s response and Mr. Corlett’s rebuttal to the response, both worth checking out.

I’ve spent time talking with and working with dozens of smaller companies over the past few months. All of them swear by Topgrading because it has dramatically improved results. All of them are making money and many of them are growing even in this poor economy.

Read more »

 

 

In the past year I have been connected to two global studies of best practices in recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.  One was conducted by American Productivity and Quality Center, and the other by Bureau of National Affairs; about 50 leading companies were surveyed and interviewed.  Some of the results are pertinent only to mega companies, but most results can help any company improve hiring.

Here are some additional bottom line conclusions:

1.  Topgrading rocked - the best results documented were for Lincoln Financial, a Topgraded company.

Lincoln was the ONLY company that measured hiring results in a rigorous fashion and the ONLY company to claim anything close to 90% hiring.

2.  Generation Y includes many recent college grads who expect you to provide career fulfillment, right from the start.

Obviously, we’re not talking about everyone in this Generation Y category, but there are enough of them that a trend is developing:  they want money, life balance, coaching, mentoring, and training, and they want it NOW.  If that sticks in your craw, you’d better change your craw!  Actually, a downturn in the economy is changing Generation Y’s attitude; some are less demanding.

3.  The virtual bench is by far the best recruitment method, and the most underutilized.

Almost all the companies said, “We get our best hirees from referrals from our best employees,” but they all agreed that they do a lousy job of incenting A players to make referrals.  This has to be a major focus in the future -  figuring out how much money to offer ($1,000 is a pittance), how to pay (1/3 when the person is hired, and 1/3 each of the next two years?), and how to collect the huge amount of talent information (every manager could ask everyone on the team to stay in touch with 15 A players and to annually update records on those people and pass the info on to HR and their manager).

4.  Retain high potential people with career planning and mentoring/coaching/training.

No simple solutions here!  This is not a Gen Y issue; for decades the single best way to retain A players is to offer career coaching, mentoring, and increasingly challenging and rewarding responsibilities.

5.  Copy Lincoln’s Topgrading methods, among them:

a.  Pre-screen candidates using the revised Topgrading Career History Form (so that you have full comp history, boss ratings, likes/dislikes in jobs, etc.) before you even phone screen people.
b.  Use the Tandem Topgrading Interview.  Don’t cut corners on this “silver bullet!”
c.  Ask candidates to arrange personal reference calls with bosses YOU choose to talk with.
d.  Measure hiring success, and reward managers who are Topgraders.

WHAT’S NEW IN TOPGRADING

• In case you missed it, anyone can get the free, 50-page eBook summary of Topgrading principles,  Avoid Costly Mis-Hires! Hire 90% High Performers with Topgrading Best Practices, just by signing up for Topgrading Tips at the home page of www.SmartTopgrading.com.
• At no charge to licensees, the Topgrading Career History Form has been revised, with three additions that will make it even easier to identify top candidates and save a lot of time pre-screening candidates.
• In late June Topgrading for Sales: World-Class Methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top Sales  Representatives was released.  It’s been #1 (among 92 books on sales rep hiring) on Amazon.com for weeks.  Inc. Magazine rated the book a 9 on a 10-point scale.
• You can view recent CNNMoney interviews in which I discuss Weeding Out Bad Employees, Honing Your Interviewing Skills, and Training Employees to Succeed.  (You have to watch a 15-second ad before the interview begins.)
• Check Press & Articles for plenty of Topgrading press - cover story on Workforce Management, CNNMoney interviews, case study in BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal, etc.