‘I Won’t Hire People who Need to be Managed’

Yes the blog title. Its not original. I read it somewhere, I think it was from some guy named Steve Jobs. He knew what to look for when hiring people I guess. It makes sense. Now don’t get me wrong, Im just a grade 1 teacher (for now) but indulge me.

If I wanted to hire staff….I’d want people who (are/would/be):

• independent thinkers
• question my decisions as a leader
• dont need direct instructions to get the job done
• flexible, honest and act with integrity
• give opinions and feel free to do so openly

Im not a school principal but does it matter? This criteria applies to all right? I believe that if you ‘manage’ people, they will behave as if they are being managed. I know who I’d hire. Id know what questions to ask. This isn’t rocket science (or as nearly as hard as teaching). In fact Id know who Id want to hire before Id even met them. How? I’d their look at blogs, track down tweets, check their ‘digital footprint’ – all you admin types DO this right? Surely you’ll ‘Google’ the person at least.

My search would be more wide spread. You see Im not so much into checking someone’s Facebook account, I would if I wanted more info. Id look for of being a connected learner. Ok so if I see a potential teacher recruit wearing a Borat Mankini on his Facebook page, I might still hire the guy (and give him some training in online presence) ..he may be an awesome physics teacher but just suck at taking control of his online identity!! We all dig second chances right! May be a great leader one day. How do I decide this?

My point here is that as a leader I don’t look for people who will do what I say. I wont look for people who are easily manipulated or persuaded. I wont look for ‘Yes men/women’ . I want to be challenged. I want to be questioned. If you need convincing this is the BEST way forth check our George Couros blog

I leave you with this great post by Forbes Magazine  The Ten Life Lessons from Steve Jobs We Should Never Forget.

“The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.” 
Steve Jobs