Not Your Mother’s Hiring Process Anymore
What do the UN General Assembly and Auburn University have in common? Both organizations have faced charges of alleged cronyism, unaccountability, and obsolescence in selection processes to fill their top leadership positions. And, like stepping on a turned-up pitchfork, both storied organizations responded to criticism—fair or not—with wide-eyed explanations tantamount to, "But we’ve always done it this way."
Every organization risks being accused of bias, poor performance, and, well, pretty much everything, when stakeholders reject the outcome of a decision. When those decisions are personnel related, benchmarking and transparency are the best defense. The MasterMinds Leadership benchmarking program establishes transparency by identifying and documenting the skills, abilities, and competencies (Key Accountabilities – “KAs”) a position requires. Benchmarking brings personnel decisions out of the shadows by:
- revealing the rules of the game to anyone vested in the decision
- mitigating against destructive cognitive bias in personnel decisions;
- allowing selectees to bring value to the position on day one; and
- enabling employees lacking specific KAs to know what they need to develop so they and the organization can grow.
Data as Ammunition
Modern technology has created a new law of physics: unpopular news travels faster than popular news. Like Auburn and the UN, many organizations have experienced this gravitational pull—bad days flowing into a series of bad weeks as hiring managers fend off bottomed-out morale, threats of lawsuits, and even protests when personnel decisions are unpopular or misunderstood.
The speed of information and the ability of misinformation to overtake reality have made transparency through benchmarking essential. Benchmarking cannot prevent a lawsuit. Only sitting alone in a dark room, never again making a decision nor speaking to another soul might help. Still, no guarantees. However, benchmarking creates a set of rules that are defined, clear, and known. By applying rigor to the criteria by which personnel decisions are made, benchmarking arms leaders with documented data to support the decision. Others may still dislike the outcome of the game, but at least everyone is playing by rules they know in advance.
Letting the Job Talk
We believe we know what we want. We believe we have the foresight of hindsight, the judgment about who we need to hire, fire, and promote. The longer we have been in our organization and the more established that organization is, the more rigor mortis has set into these assumptions. Armed with this array of false assumptions, we risk cascading into a quagmire of poor personnel decisions that ultimately stifle growth.
The MasterMinds Leadership benchmarking program helps leaders elevate the job over their own biases. Using a set of scientifically-proven assessment tools, we work with subject matter experts to break down the job’s essential KAs into their clearest form. With a custom job report and employee profile, hiring officials can inform stakeholders using a set of selection criteria based on objective requirements, versus assumptions that might be dated or even false.
Growing with the One Who Brung Ya
We often hear it: “But what if we benchmark a position and find out that some of our most capable employees in that position don’t score highly on all of the KAs?” We certainly hope so. If an employee is perfect for the job in every way, where is the growth potential for them? And if they stop growing, how will the organization continue growing? And how do employees objectively identify what they need?
When employees fall short on specific KAs, this is a valuable opportunity for leaders to develop them for growth. Equally as important, the benchmarking process brings transparency to professional development. Guesswork is removed for current position holders and aspirants, as well as for supervisors who want to ensure that all highly-valued employees have information and equal opportunity.
Transparency – It’s Not Your Mother’s Selection Process Anymore
The digital age has changed the decision-making environment between leaders and stakeholders by closing the distance between them. As Auburn and the UN have found, hiring managers are not immune, since every personnel decision is questioned, and facts rarely shout out misinformation. Transparency is essential for leaders to support their decisions, and benchmarking is the mechanism. Without it, they’re just winging it.
Check back next week when we discuss the steps involved in benchmarking.
Written By: Greta Creech, Manager of Client Analytics at MasterMinds Leadership
