What Constitutes a ‘Bad’ vs. ‘Good’ Employee?

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

As a senior leader, I have hired more than 200 people from interns to recent grads to senior leaders. Hiring is like gambling, it’s a 50/50 shot. Come to think of it, the odds might be better in gambling. HR can screen and provide general assessments, but you or a member of the team who will work with the person must be involved. Hiring is an investment in your organization; your employees are your greatest resource. This is worth your time and that of your team.

Criteria like these are commonly used to assess and distinguish between employees who contribute positively to an organization and those who may hinder its progress:

• Performance
• Attitude and Behavior
• Reliability and Dependability
• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Initiative and Problem-Solving
• Communication Skills
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Professionalism
• Learning and Development
• Accountability

To these criterion outputs, you can also apply all the algorithms and machine learning you have, but when it comes to hiring people, people must be engaged. And I don’t just mean Human Resources.

My team and I have used several questions, some standard, but there was always one or two that required the person to pivot and think on their feet.

These included what book are you currently reading?; are you a sports fan, if so who’s your favorite team?; do you have a favorite animal, why is it your favorite?

One of these questions would come in the middle of the interview.  It can change the tone of the interview, most of the time people relax and you get to see a bit of their personality.

Who they are as person is important to you, your team, and your organization.

Warning sign behaviors may or may not be warning signs, they could be nervous. One answer that could be concerning is something along the lines of “I want to fix the organization.” Someone said that to me when I was the chief executive of my organization and interviewing them for a leadership position.  This is different from why they want to join the organization and what skills and abilities they bring to support and grow or compliment the organization.  From my experience, warning sign behaviors can display as very short answers with few examples and a conceited presence.

You can deal with it in a couple of different ways, depending on the level of the position.  Ask a direct question about examples and why they want to “fix” the organization or don’t hire them.

Over the years, I learned to listen to my gut and hairs on the back of my neck. Those lessons were hard learned.