I’m always looking for new writers to be on the GBW Team. We have some great writers on the team and I’m very proud of that fact. It’s taken a while to find writers that are great.
I try to believe the best in people. I think that’s the best way to go through life – always expecting the best. But things don’t always work out. You have to be somewhat picky when you’re hiring for your startup or business.
At my last job I had a very smart boss. He always took his time with hiring. He wanted to make sure that he was hiring the right person for every opening and it always seemed to work out very well for him and for the company.
I came across an article today that kind of touched on an aspect of hiring. The article covered a study that looked at what emotion would make people work hard.
Feeling Guilty = Hard Working
Definitely read the full article for all the insight. A quick recap is that those who feel guilty are most likely to be hard workers. And on top of that they’re also likely to be very ethical.
That’s obviously the type of person you would want on your team. You need them to be competent at the job, but beyond that you’re looking for someone that will work as hard as you will and who will be ethical. Once they’re a part of your team they’re going to represent your brand. So if you’re ethical you want someone who shares the same values.
When you’re interviewing people I would look for those that speak with some humbleness. This can be an indicator of how they view the world and their place in the world.
You want them to be confident, but also maybe a little guilty of things they’ve done. When they don’t succeed it can really affect them so if they speak passionately about something they didn’t quite achieve that can be a good sign.
Someone willing to talk about a near miss as opposed to someone bragging about something rather insignificant they did a decade ago is a good sign.
You might have to push guilty people into leadership positions, but once they’re there they can do well. And you might have to watch how the do with others in leadership positions. They might be more willing to accept subpar work because they would feel guilty trying to get the most out of others.
But this type of person can be great for your team. Honest, ethical and hard working. That’s the type of person you want on a startup team or for your established company.
I know this study will help me with my hiring in the future.