{"id":734,"date":"2016-06-15T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T10:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rocksolidbizdevelopment.com\/ourblog\/?p=734"},"modified":"2025-07-01T17:20:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T17:20:23","slug":"hire-best-fire-rest-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rocksolidbizdevelopment.com\/ourblog\/hire-best-fire-rest-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"“Hire the best, fire the rest” (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our previous post, \u201cHire the best, fire the rest,\u201d we talked about the \u201ctopgrading\u201d concepts espoused by management psychologist Dr. Brad Smart. In his book, \u201cTopgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People.\u201d<\/em> He forwards the idea that, any employee the company hires or promotes, from the executive suite to the factory floor to the loading dock, should be an A-Player (people who are in the top 10 percent of the talent available for that position) or people who have the potential to become A-Players.\u00a0 Over time, says Dr. Smart, people who are not A-Players or who lack the potential to become A-Players, must be replaced.\u00a0 Sounds like a tall order, and it is.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in becoming a \u201ctopgrading\u201d company and would like some thoughts on where to start, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n

\u201cHire the best, fire the rest\u201d (Part 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s be clear. Topgrading is probably not for everyone.\u00a0 It\u2019s a very rigorous system for hiring and promoting people, and it\u2019s not for the faint of heart.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the kind of thing that you say \u201cLet\u2019s give it a try.\u201d\u00a0 No, you either go at it full throttle, or you don\u2019t go at it at all.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in becoming a topgrading company and want a detailed manual on how to do it, you need to read Dr. Smart\u2019s book, but there are three major areas that you\u2019ll need to think about.<\/p>\n

Commitment.<\/strong> <\/b>Becoming a topgrading company is a major strategic objective that will require the horsepower that only the CEO can deliver. You won\u2019t be able to hand this off to an HR person or to someone else on your leadership team. So if you\u2019re not prepared to lead the charge on this, you should not attempt it. You will also need to get a commitment from all hiring managers that, no matter how desperate they are to fill a key spot, they absolutely will only fill it with someone they believe to be an A-Player. That means they will need to have contingency plans for key openings to help them \u201cget by\u201d until the right person can be found. And if they\u2019re smart, they will begin seeking out and keeping a list of people with the \u201cright stuff\u201d to be A-Players in your organization so that when they do have an opening, they already have a short list of people who can fill it.<\/p>\n

Detailed job descriptions with key success factors. <\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u201ccultural fit.\u201d Too often we focus on the skills we need and overlook a candidate\u2019s values and interpersonal skills. We need to recognize that if a candidate has great work skills, but is a poor fit for our culture, he or she may be an A-Player at another company, but not at ours.<\/p>\n