A recent piece on the HBR Blog Site discussed a series that litmus tests to help in judging people and their real potential. Examples cited are meaningful listening, giving rather than taking energy and self-awareness. It is certainly possible to take the list of the ten criteria suggested and build it into a structured interview guide, and I certainly agree that the tests proposed in the blog piece are positive indicators of strengths. The challenge, however, is that there are so many types of roles in today’s workplace, not to mention the rich diversity of talent, including the need to build strong resources globally. So, while so very good competencies are covered in the HBR blog piece, they are actually but a few of many that are important in selecting and growing talent, developing leaders and shaping culture in the 21st Century. Several other good examples are cited in my recent blog, Accelerated Development of Leaders Part 1, the first in a series on accelerating the development of leaders.
On a related point, it shouldn’t be assumed that use of interview questions is the best way to assess all or even most critical competencies. There are several assessment tools which are highly predictive of the way people behave either under stress (Hogan Assessment Systems) or in groups of two or more (Four Groups) as well as what motivates and demotivates people (Personality Research Form).
