What is the Acid Test for Hiring the best people?

Here are the 3 traits he looked for when hiring new people:

1. Integrity: People who tell the truth, but also admit responsibility for their mistakes and try to fix them. This also means that it is your role as a manager to create an environment where employees are not afraid to tell you what they really think.

Often times, your sales and customer success teams will be the first to notice industry changes as they have greater client exposure. Many times they will know when something which used to work no longer does, and you want them to be able to voice those concerns. Look at candidates’ track records and ask them about their past mistakes. Hire honest people who are not afraid to tell the truth and in turn, don’t shoot the messenger.

2. Intelligence
Intelligence does not necessarily mean having a particular educational background, nor does it mean the candidate thinks they are the smartest person in the room.

Looking for intelligent candidates means looking for candidates who possess a strong dose of intellectual curiosity. Hire someone who has a record of learning new skills and taking on different responsibilities, especially outside of their comfort zone. Intellectual curiosity and adaptability go hand in hand.

3. Maturity
People can be mature at any age (and immature too for that matter!). What Welch refers to in terms of maturity is someone who can withstand pressure and obstacles, but also enjoy moments of success with both joy and humility.

Maturity also does not mean being overly serious; in fact, mature people often have a sense of humor, especially about themselves! Admittedly, there is no surefire way to gauge maturity by looking at someone’s resume, but it can be gleaned by their reputation, references and how they conduct themselves during an interview.

Try taking into account these 3 traits when hiring new people and let me know if you look for any other particular traits of your own!