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The Ultimate Who Question: Finding Your Business's Missing Puzzle Piece
Imagine waking up to find your two-year-old running naked down the driveway unsupervised-the consequence of a poor hiring decision. This isn't just a parenting nightmare; it's a business reality check that Geoff Smart experienced firsthand. In "Who: The A Method for Hiring," Smart and co-author Randy Street tackle what billionaire investors, Fortune 500 CEOs, and entrepreneurs unanimously identify as their number one problem: finding the right people. This Wall Street Journal bestseller has become required reading at companies like Amazon and Google, with Warren Buffett personally recommending it to his CEOs. The book's premise is deceptively simple yet revolutionary: most leaders obsess over what problems (strategy, products, processes) when they should focus on who problems (the people making decisions). With a staggering 50% hiring failure rate across industries costing companies 15 times an employee's base salary, the stakes couldn't be higher.
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Your Number One Problem Isn't What You Think
We've all experienced the Lucy and Ethel chocolate factory scenario-frantic workers struggling to keep up with an accelerating conveyor belt. But as Smart and Street point out, the supervisor didn't have a conveyor problem; she had a Lucy problem. This distinction between "what" and "who" problems lies at the heart of business success, yet most leaders consistently misidentify their core challenges.
Most managers spend their careers chasing what problems-tweaking strategies, refining products, and optimizing processes. They obsess over operational efficiency, market positioning, and competitive advantage. These leaders feel perpetually stressed with insufficient time and resources, constantly fighting fires and implementing new systems. Yet the authors' extensive research, encompassing thirteen hundred interview hours with business billionaires and top executives like Warren Buffett, Michael Dell, and Jack Welch, reveals that focusing on who-the people you put in key positions-is where magic begins or problems start. Their findings consistently show that about 50% of business problems stem from having the wrong people in critical roles.
Consider Nate Thompson, CEO of Spectra Logic. Despite conducting thorough interviews and following conventional hiring wisdom, his poor hires created catastrophic problems including embezzlement, toxic workplace culture, and severe personal suffering. One particularly problematic hire cost the company millions in lost revenue and damaged client relationships. Thompson couldn't even enjoy skiing with his family without spending hours handling work crises caused by mismatched employees. His experience mirrors countless other executives who discover too late that their strategic challenges are actually people problems in disguise.
The traditional hiring approach remains surprisingly primitive, stuck in practices from the 1950s. While every other management process has been studied, optimized, and codified-from supply chain management to financial controls-hiring is still treated as a mysterious black art. Managers rely on what the authors call "voodoo hiring methods"-gut feelings, unstructured interviews, trick questions, and personality tests-all of which research shows fail to predict actual job performance. Studies indicate that traditional interviews are only 57% predictive of actual on-the-job success.
What makes this problem particularly insidious is that even smart, accomplished leaders struggle with it. As Steve Kerr, who built GE's legendary Crotonville leadership institute for Jack Welch, explains: "Otherwise smart people struggle to hire strangers." This universal challenge affects organizations at every level, from boards hiring CEOs to managers selecting team members. Even experienced leaders with stellar track records in strategy and operations frequently make poor hiring decisions that cascade into organizational crises. The authors found that executives spend less than 50 hours hiring key personnel but over 500 hours dealing with the problems caused by poor hiring choices.
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Scorecard: The Blueprint for Success
Imagine building a house without an architect's blueprint. You'd end up with a structural disaster. Similarly, hiring without a clear definition of success leads to organizational chaos. This is where the Scorecard-the first component of the A Method-becomes essential.
A Scorecard translates the theoretical definition of an A Player into practical terms for a specific position. It consists of three parts: the mission (why the role exists), outcomes (what must be accomplished), and competencies (how the person should operate).
The mission statement forms the executive summary of a job's core purpose, distilling the role to its essence in plain language. For example, rather than vague corporate jargon, an effective mission might read: "To serve as a visionary leader who helps the bank capture market share by analyzing the market and devising successful new strategies."
Outcomes describe what a person needs to accomplish-typically three to eight objectives ranked by importance. Unlike traditional job descriptions focusing on activities, scorecards focus on results. For sales positions, this might be "Grow revenue from $25 million to $50 million by end of year three." Even for roles where quantification is difficult, outcomes should be objective and observable: "Create and implement a new marketing campaign within 180 days."
Competencies define how you expect someone to operate in fulfilling the job. Research with University of Chicago colleagues identified critical competencies including efficiency, honesty/integrity, organization, follow-through, intelligence, analytical skills, attention to detail, persistence, and proactivity. Cultural competencies ensure organizational fit-a factor cited by one-third of executives as a major reason for hiring mistakes.
The power of scorecards extends beyond hiring. They cascade from the CEO's strategic objectives down through every organizational level, ensuring all employees have outcomes supporting the overall strategy. At EMC, founder Roger Marino executed the company's customer service strategy by holding everyone accountable through scorecards focused on service excellence.
Sewickley Academy demonstrated this approach when selecting a new Head of School. Their scorecard included specific outcomes like curriculum improvement within a year, building a team of 90% A Players, and meeting fundraising targets. Five years later, their selection had successfully reversed budget deficits, increased giving to record levels, hired nine A Player faculty members, and overhauled the curriculum-validating the scorecard-based decision.
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Source: Creating a Flow of A Players
Most hiring failures begin with a weak candidate pool, making the sourcing process critical for organizational success. Unlike traditional passive hiring that relies on stagnant talent pools and job postings, successful executives maintain a constant flow of potential A Players through disciplined networking and systematic relationship building across multiple channels.
Industry data overwhelmingly shows that 77% of business leaders cite referrals as their primary technique for finding exceptional talent. Patrick Ryan of Aon Corporation exemplified this approach by personally recruiting thirty people annually through a simple but powerful question posed to everyone he encountered: "Who are the most talented people you know that I should hire?" His methodical approach involved maintaining relationships with prospects over extended periods, sometimes spanning several years. This patient cultivation allowed him to successfully recruit numerous top executives, including identifying and securing his own successor.
In-house referrals have proven particularly effective because employees inherently understand company needs, culture, and fit requirements. Selim Bassoul of Middleby Corporation discovered that employee referrals accounted for 85% of successful new hires, with these candidates showing higher retention rates and faster productivity ramp-up. Similarly, Paul Tudor Jones' organization found that employee-referred candidates demonstrated a 60% higher success rate compared to other sourcing channels, with notably better cultural alignment.
Expanding your talent search through strategic "deputy" networks can exponentially increase your reach. Companies implement various incentive structures to encourage referrals, ranging from substantial recruiting bonuses up to $5,000 to creative alternatives like premium gift certificates or exclusive investment opportunities. BSMB, a multibillion-dollar buyout fund, developed an innovative approach by building an extensive network of deputies who receive fee-free fund investments in exchange for quality talent referrals, creating a self-sustaining talent pipeline.
While external recruiters remain valuable sources for executive talent, their effectiveness is directly proportional to the depth of information shared about company culture and specific needs. Ed Evans of Allied Waste emphasizes the importance of treating recruiters as strategic partners by giving them "enough of a peek under the kimono" to truly understand organizational requirements, challenges, and cultural nuances. This transparent partnership approach significantly improves search accuracy and candidate quality.
The most critical practice in maintaining a strong talent pipeline is dedicating thirty minutes weekly to nurturing relationships with potential A Players. During these focused sessions, executives should prioritize their prospect list and make calls until achieving at least one meaningful live conversation. Each interaction should conclude by requesting referrals to other potential candidates, allowing the network to grow organically and exponentially through second and third-degree connections.
The successful recruitment of Jamie Dimon by Bank One board members James Crown and John Hall illustrates these sourcing principles in action. Facing significant organizational challenges after their CEO's departure, they began with a carefully constructed basic scorecard and enlisted Andrea Redmond at Russell Reynolds to refine their search parameters. Crown and Hall personally invested time traveling to meet potential candidates, viewing initial rejections as starting points for negotiation rather than final answers, and consistently seeking referrals to expand their candidate pool. Their persistence and systematic approach paid off - under Dimon's leadership, Bank One's value doubled before its eventual merger with JPMorgan Chase, demonstrating the long-term impact of effective talent sourcing.
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Select: The Four Interviews for Spotting A Players
Traditional interviewing is not predictive of job performance according to extensive research. The best way to select A Players is through four sequential interviews that evaluate candidates against your scorecard, focusing on collecting facts about performance track records rather than judging brief interactions.
The screening interview requires thorough follow-up questions using the "What? How? Tell me more" framework to uncover candidates' true strengths and weaknesses. The key is to "hit the gong fast" by quickly eliminating unsuitable candidates rather than wasting time with borderline cases.
The Who Interview follows a conversational five-question format that feels natural while gathering extensive decision data. Starting with educational background, you chronologically explore each job in a candidate's past fifteen years through these questions: What were you hired to do? What accomplishments are you most proud of? What were some low points? Who were the people you worked with? Why did you leave?
Each question reveals crucial patterns-A Players connect accomplishments to expectations while B/C Players speak generally; everyone has "lows" though some resist sharing them; the "threat of reference check" technique uncovers honest assessments; and departure reasons distinguish valued A Players from less-valued B/C Players.
The focused interview offers an additional layer of scrutiny and involves other team members in the hiring process. Unlike standard behavioral interviews, focused interviews specifically target the outcomes and competencies listed on the scorecard. Team members ask structured questions about specific scorecard elements, with follow-up questions using the "What? How? Tell me more" framework.
The reference interview provides crucial validation through structured questioning. Smart recommends having candidates facilitate reference connections (doubling success rates), conducting seven total interviews (three bosses, two peers/customers, two subordinates), and using five simple questions that mirror previous interview formats. References often speak in code-hesitations, lukewarm praise, and qualified statements signal problems, while enthusiastic endorsements indicate true A Players.
After completing all interviews, evaluate candidates against your scorecard using the Skill-Will Bull's-Eye framework. For each outcome, assess whether there's a 90% or better chance the candidate can achieve it (skill) and for each competency, whether there's a 90% or better chance they'll display it (will). A true A Player hits the bull's-eye by matching both skill requirements (can do the job) and will requirements (wants to do the job and fits the culture).
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Sell: The Five F's That Seal the Deal
Most managers fail to sell candidates effectively, potentially losing their ideal hire at the eleventh hour. The key to successfully closing the deal is addressing the "five F's of selling": fit, family, freedom, fortune, and fun.
Fit is the most crucial selling point. A Players want roles where they can excel, making an impact and feeling needed. Selling fit means showing candidates how their goals, talents and values align with your vision, strategy and culture. As Mark Stone of the Gores Group advises: "Show that you are as concerned with the fit for them as you are in the fit for you. Ninety-nine percent of your competitors are not doing that."
Families often pose the greatest obstacle to hiring A Players, as spouses and children resist life-changing moves. Successful leaders actively address family concerns throughout the recruitment process. One executive assistant created an elaborate Texas-themed care package with videos of happy families, real estate listings, and local entertainment options to convince a reluctant family to relocate.
A Players, especially younger generations, despise micromanagement and seek positions where they can exercise autonomy. George Buckley of 3M builds trust by being authentic and showing confidence: "If you know that I am confident in you, you are likely to take more risks, to work a little harder, because you know that I am not going to take your head off if something doesn't work perfectly."
Money alone rarely seals the deal with A Players. Research shows compensation can be a disincentive if too low, but is rarely the key motivator. The best approach is linking variable compensation to scorecard performance, ensuring you pay top dollar only for A performance.
Since we spend over a third of our lives at work, fun becomes a powerful selling point. What constitutes "fun" varies by corporate culture-from start-ups resembling rec centers to financial institutions where fun might mean wearing a two-piece suit instead of three. Understanding what constitutes fun for your candidate can be a decisive factor in closing the deal.
Selling isn't just the final step in hiring-it should happen throughout the entire process across five critical waves: when you source, when you interview, between offer and acceptance, between acceptance and first day, and during the first hundred days. When asked about the single most important aspect of selling candidates, the answer is simple: persistence. Great leaders don't take no for an answer and maintain positive pressure until they get the A Players they want.
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Building Your A Team
Building a team of A Players often makes managers nervous-they worry that A Players won't work well together or will compete for the spotlight. This concern misunderstands what makes an A Player. Remember, an A Player isn't an all-around athlete but someone who accomplishes the goals on your scorecard that only the top 10% of people in the labor pool could achieve. This distinction is crucial because it focuses on specific role performance rather than general excellence.
Since you define the scorecard, including competencies and values consistent with your culture, if teamwork is a core value, then a spotlight-seeking star isn't an A Player regardless of productivity. The scorecard should explicitly outline collaboration expectations, communication requirements, and team-oriented behaviors. For example, a sales A Player might not just hit revenue targets but also share leads with colleagues and mentor junior team members.
A Players work well together because each is selected for a unique role in the broader team context, functioning as specialists who don't get in each other's way. Like a championship sports team, each member excels in their position while supporting the overall team strategy. An A Player in engineering might focus on technical innovation while an A Player in customer service excels at relationship building - their distinct strengths complement rather than compete.
A Players elevate an entire organization-as one client noted, the company's entire aspiration rose with each A Player hired. This elevation happens through direct and indirect mechanisms: A Players set new performance benchmarks, share best practices, and create positive peer pressure that raises standards across the organization. For instance, when one company hired an A Player sales director, not only did sales improve, but the entire team's approach to customer relationship management transformed.
Our study of 313 CEOs revealed two dominant profiles with dramatically different success rates. "Lambs"-CEOs with excellent soft skills who are open to feedback and treat people with respect-were successful 57% of the time. "Cheetahs"-CEOs who move quickly, act aggressively, work hard, demonstrate persistence, and hold people accountable-were successful 100% of the time. This contradicts conventional wisdom that emotional intelligence is the most critical leadership quality. Emotional intelligence matters, but only when matched with the propensity to get things done.
The key is to balance these qualities within your leadership team. While Cheetahs drive results, they need team members who can build relationships and maintain organizational harmony. Successful organizations often pair Cheetah-style leaders with Lamb-style executives in complementary roles. For example, a hard-driving CEO might work alongside a more relationship-focused COO, creating a leadership dynamic that captures the benefits of both styles.
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The Method in Action: Real-World Success Stories
The A Method has transformed organizations across industries, delivering remarkable results through systematic talent management and decisive leadership. When Blackstone Group and Apollo hired John Zillmer as CEO of Allied Waste, they faced a challenging turnaround situation. The company had been a consistently underperforming "lead balloon" in the waste management industry, with stagnant growth and declining market share. Zillmer's first major initiative was a comprehensive talent overhaul, personally recruiting and hiring 27 new A Players with an impressive 90% success rate. He implemented the A Method's rigorous selection criteria, competency-based interviewing, and reference checking protocols company-wide. The result was transformative: the company's value increased 67% in just eighteen months, with improvements across all key performance metrics.
Bill Koch's revival of the U.S. America's Cup team in 1992 provides another compelling example of the A Method's principles in action. Drawing from his experience with his MIT basketball coach, who emphasized team cohesion over individual stardom, Koch developed a revolutionary approach to crew selection. He created a comprehensive scorecard system that rated sailors on three key dimensions: technical talent, teamwork capability, and attitude - with the latter two requiring near-perfect scores of 9 or 10. This strict criteria led to controversial decisions, including cutting two world-champion sailors whose attitudes didn't meet the standard, despite their exceptional technical skills. Koch's team, America3, faced skepticism from experts and oddsmakers, who gave them 100-to-1 odds against winning. However, his methodical approach to role definition and team composition proved successful. Each crew member had clearly defined responsibilities that aligned with their specific strengths, creating a seamlessly coordinated unit that ultimately defeated the heavily favored Italian team to claim victory.
Selim Bassoul's transformation of Middleby Corporation exemplifies the "Cheetah" leadership style - swift, decisive, and uncompromising in pursuit of excellence. Upon taking the helm, Bassoul immediately implemented dramatic changes that many considered too radical. He eliminated 40% of product lines that weren't meeting profitability targets, restructured the entire management team using A Method principles, and made the bold decision to change the company's operating schedule from Monday-Friday to Wednesday-Sunday. This controversial move allowed Middleby to provide better customer service when restaurants needed it most - during peak weekend hours. Despite initial resistance from employees and stakeholders, Bassoul's decisive leadership and unwavering commitment to the A Method's principles produced extraordinary results. Middleby's stock price increased by an astounding 3,500% over five years, while employee satisfaction and customer retention reached record levels. The company's transformation became a case study in how the A Method, combined with bold leadership, can drive unprecedented business success.
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Your Greatest Opportunity
The A Method represents a groundbreaking approach to talent management, developed through extensive research and interviews with over four hundred CEOs, business billionaires, and elite leaders across industries. When these leaders were asked to quantify the factors driving business success, their responses were striking: management talent dominated at 52 percent, while execution accounted for 20 percent, strategy 17 percent, and external factors merely 11 percent. This data demonstrates conclusively that people decisions far outweigh other business considerations.
The implications are profound: organizations that excel at talent management enjoy consistent success, while those that struggle with it face perpetual challenges. John Varley, CEO of Barclays PLC, articulates this reality by noting that in today's competitive landscape, business strategies among rivals are increasingly similar. What truly distinguishes exceptional companies is their execution capability, which fundamentally comes down to the quality of their people.
Installing the A Method requires a comprehensive, systematic approach. First, leadership must elevate people decisions to their rightful place as the organization's top priority. This involves several critical steps: personal modeling of the method by senior leaders, building a coalition of executive support, articulating a compelling vision centered on A Player talent, implementing robust training programs, identifying and removing organizational barriers, establishing supporting policies and procedures, celebrating successful implementations, addressing resistant managers, and creating a culture of continuous improvement in talent management.
The method's core components are elegantly simple yet powerful. It begins with creating detailed scorecards that define success metrics for every role. Talent sourcing focuses on leveraging professional networks and referral systems rather than traditional recruiting channels. The selection process employs the skill-will bull's-eye framework through rigorous, structured interviews. Finally, candidate attraction utilizes the five F's methodology: fit, family, freedom, fortune, and fun.
Real-world success stories validate the method's effectiveness. One particularly illustrative case involves a COO who transformed both his organization and his own career trajectory. Initially struggling as a B Player working excessive hours, he systematically implemented the A Method throughout his organization. By building a team of A Players who, in turn, recruited other A Players, he created a virtuous cycle of excellence. The result was not just improved organizational performance but also enhanced personal effectiveness and work-life balance. His team's productivity soared while actually reducing working hours, demonstrating that excellence breeds efficiency.
This ripple effect of excellence - where A Players attract and develop other A Players - represents a powerful organizational multiplier available to any company willing to prioritize the who question. The method's success has been demonstrated across industries, company sizes, and geographical regions, making it a universal tool for organizational transformation through superior talent management.
