“Who: The A Method for Hiring,” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, addresses the common frustration many companies face: the difficulty of hiring the right talent. The authors argue that the main problem behind hiring failures is not “what” but “who”—hence the focus of the book is on how to hire the right people efficiently and effectively.

Smart and Street identify that many organizations suffer from hiring the wrong people, terming this a “who” problem. They state that the cost of hiring mistakes can be as high as 15 times a person’s base salary—a persuasive reason for adopting a more methodical approach.

Actionable Advice:
1. Calculate the cost of a bad hire in your organization to internalize the necessity of a better hiring process.
2. Review past hiring mistakes and identify patterns that led to these errors.

The core of the book revolves around a four-step process known as the A Method, which includes Scorecard, Source, Select, and Sell.

The Scorecard is an alternative to generic job descriptions. It identifies clear outcomes and competencies required for the role, thus focusing on results rather than responsibilities.

Example:
For a sales manager, instead of stating “responsible for managing a team,” the Scorecard might specify “increase regional sales by 20% over the next year.”

Actionable Advice:
– Create a Scorecard for every role that outlines key outcomes and skills.
– Define clear and measurable objectives for new hires.

Sourcing is about finding potential candidates. The authors argue that passive candidates (those not actively looking for a job) are often higher caliber than active ones. They recommend several sources: personal networks, external recruiters, and even competitors.

Example:
One company found that the best hires often came from personal referrals and set up an employee referral program with rewards.

Actionable Advice:
– Leverage your network and reach out to potential candidates directly.
– Implement a referral program in your organization to incentivize employees to recommend top talent.

Selecting involves a meticulous interview process. The authors advocate for a series of structured interviews to thoroughly vet candidates. They introduce the Topgrading interview technique—an extensive, chronological review of a candidate’s career.

Example:
A company used a three-step interview process: a screening interview, a Topgrading interview, and a focused interview to assess specific competencies.

Actionable Advice:
– Structure your interviews using a predefined set of questions to maintain consistency.
– Conduct multiple interviews to assess various aspects of a candidate’s experience and skills.

The final stage, Sell, involves convincing the chosen candidate to join the organization. This is especially crucial for top-tier candidates who likely have multiple opportunities.

Example:
A candidate was swayed to join a firm because they were introduced to several potential colleagues and were given a clear vision of their potential career path within the company.

Actionable Advice:
– Demonstrate your company’s culture and career growth potential.
– Engage multiple stakeholders in the selling process to provide a more compelling offer.

The book also outlines common mistakes made during hiring:
– Lack of Clarity: Ambiguous job descriptions result in mismatched expectations.
– Rushed Decisions: Pressure to fill a position can lead to skipping crucial steps in the vetting process.
– Gut Instincts: Relying solely on intuition rather than structured evaluation can be misleading.

Actionable Advice:
– Avoid rushing the process by planning for future hiring needs.
– Base decisions on structured interviews and Scorecards rather than instinct alone.

Throughout the book, Smart and Street provide numerous real-world examples to illustrate their points.

Example:
A retail company implemented the A Method and saw a significant increase in sales and a reduction in turnover, attributing these improvements to better hiring practices.

Actionable Advice:
– Document and share successful case studies within your organization to reinforce the method’s value.
– Regularly review and refine your hiring process based on feedback and results.

Smart and Street emphasize the importance of continually measuring and improving the hiring process. Metrics such as the success rate of hires, time to fill positions, and employee performance over time should be tracked.

Example:
A tech company tracked the performance of new hires against their Scorecard objectives, using the data to refine their sourcing and selection criteria.

Actionable Advice:
– Establish key hiring metrics and review them quarterly.
– Use data to identify areas for improvement in your hiring process.

“Who: The A Method for Hiring” provides a comprehensive framework for improving the hiring process. By focusing on finding the right people (“A Players”), the book demonstrates that a well-structured approach can lead to significantly better hiring outcomes. The A Method prioritizes clarity, systematic sourcing, rigorous selection, and strategic selling to attract and retain top talent.

Final Action Points:
1. Adopt the A Method framework in your organization.
2. Train hiring managers on each step of the method.
3. Regularly analyze the effectiveness of your hiring process and make data-driven adjustments.

By implementing the steps outlined in “Who,” organizations can drastically improve their hiring success rates, which will ultimately lead to higher performance and reduced turnover.