Manage Well - Hire Well

In my current role or responsibility I have the opportunity to chat with those who have recently stepped aside or retired from senior administrator roles in higher education. And I listen to what they felt went well and where things did not turn out so well during their tenure. When it comes to regrets, when it comes to what they might have done differently, or when they say if there was one mistake along the way, the same question or issue comes up again and again: we hired the wrong person. Or, we should have let that person go, but did not have enough resolve to make the tough decision and follow through. it consistently comes down to this.

All of this a reminder: in leadership, you are only as effective as the people you hire. Doing this well is surely one of the most critical capacities of those in any kind of administrative role.

Authoritarian administrators value loyalty and deference and this often means they recruit or hire those of modest capacities or who are simply incompetent. They are content with incompetence and questionable character if they can get the loyalty and deference that they view as essential to any leadership they provide.

But consider an alternative. That where you have the opening and leverage and responsibility to make appointments – to hire those who will serve with you, that you insist on the following:

First, character. We begin here. This is foundational. Competence — number 2 — without character is dangerous if not actually destructive. By character we mean virtue. Women and men of their word. Individuals who you can trust with finances, critical relationships and due diligence. They bring an emotional maturity to the workplace – a resilience that transcends any propensity towards either fear or anger.

Second, competence. They are always learning, growing and committed to in-service development. But they bring to the table the fundamental talent, skill and ability so that the job an be done with an on-going commitment to excellence. And they value excellence and view quality as inherent in what it means to serve well. They have the right skills, abilities and perspective and experience to bring quality and consistency to this office or this workplace or this responsibility.

Third, collaboration. No one has all the skills or wisdom to make things happen. We need one another. We depend on one another. You will always look back and celebrate an appointment when you are able to add, “and they knew how to work effectively with others”: coordination, inter-dependence, and the joy of being able to say “we did it” with an emphasis on the “we.” This also means men who know how to work as colleagues with women without being even slightly patronizing. And it means that they understand governance models or structures and know how to work within them. And they will even work effectively with those with whom they may well have significance differences – able to achieve positive outcomes working with others with whom they simply “agree to disagree” but we will seek together the common good.

And finally, communication. They are consistent in their messages. They respond in a timely way to correspondence. In their speaking there is no manipulation or gaslighting. They are transparent and consistent in their speech. And of note, they eschew gossip or speaking ill of others. Most of all, when they speak there is no hype, no pseudo confidence, but rather simplicity of speech – saying what needs to be said, no more and no less.

You move slowly with the appointment. Nothing rushed. And you consult with others: what do they see; how do they experience this individual. Women – are they comfortable in this man’s presence, if the candidate is male. To one and all through the interview process: do you sense that the candidate listened well, answered questions with transparency and clarity? Did they overspeak?

And what are references saying? Anything in those comments that merits our attention? It there anything that gives us pause, on character, competence, the ability to collaborate with others and clarity and timeliness of communication. These four can and should come up again and again in the process.

And when you are asked to provide a reference for a candidate, as you are able and as appropriate these are what you need to speak to: character, competence, collaboration and communication.

Four things to consider when through an interview process you wonder if this is the right person for the position. And if someone needs to be released from their role, it will surely be because they have come up short on one or more of these.