“I thought the whole process was more geared toward problem-solving than to me talking about who I was as an applicant and I liked that.” Andrew Snyder, 25

Hiring is in the top three, if not number one, of actions that ensure success, because it is having the right people that builds the strong teams that juice creativity and make it possible for the company to pivot as needed.

Hiring well means interviewing well and while there are many approaches to hiring there is nothing that can take the place of a really good interviewing process and well-trained interviewers.

Teams are old hat in some industries, but in others they are considered radically innovative and startup Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School is in that category.

The year-old startup, more than three years in the planning, received 2,700 applications for 42 openings in each class.

The applicants were first screened by traditional methods (grades, SAT scores, etc.) and 239 were invited to interview—and that is where things changed.

Driven by research, Carilion decided that (1) excellent communication and (2) strong social skills were must haves for any candidate they accepted.

The first is a growing catalog of studies that pin the blame for an appalling share of preventable deaths (98,000 deaths each year) on poor communication among doctors, patients and nurses that often results because some doctors, while technically competent, are socially inept.

The second and related trend is that medicine is evolving from an individual to a team sport.

Rather than rely on an interview with one recruiter, Carilion utilized a different approach called Multiple Mini Interviews (M.M.I.)

The system grew out of research that found that interviewers rarely change their scores after the first five minutes, that using multiple interviewers removes random bias and that situational interviews rather than personal ones are more likely to reveal character flaws, said Dr. Harold Reiter, a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who developed the system.

Here’s how it works,

…the school invited candidates to the admissions equivalent of speed-dating: nine brief interviews that forced candidates to show they had the social skills to navigate a health care system in which good communication has become critical.

MMI is used by eight other medical schools including Stanford and UCLA.

It’s a great approach, especially for screening out those who believe their vocation or actions confer god-like status—and the ego to go with it. Those types don’t play well with others and are rarely, if ever, strong team players.

I’ve been a fan of team hiring for years and done correctly the speed interviews bump it to the next level; a far smarter approach than Google’s algorithm or the normal one-on-one, with an introduction to a few team members.

Image credit: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

YouTube image credit: purplecontent

Have you heard of Alexandra Robbins? She’s the author of “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School.”

I’m not asking because you’re a parent, but because you’re a manager—or one of the adult geeks (of which there are millions).

I haven’t read it, but reading the NYT review made me realize how little some things change.

Robbins writes about teens and the angst of being a geek and the serious pain that these teens face every day she says, “Bullying and exclusion are rampant.”

I’m not a researcher and certainly don’t claim any special credentials, but anyone who believes the popularity and fitting-in thing ends with high school or even college graduation is either deaf, dumb and blind, from an alternate reality or an entirely different planet.

Bullying in the work world is not only a corporate hot topic, but also fast becoming a business. (I wrote about that here and corrected misunderstandings of that post here.)

Adults still want to sit with the cool kids at lunch (Google, Facebook), hang with the jocks (Intel, litigation lawyers) or be accepted by the soshes (definition #2) (investment bankers, hedge fund managers).

What changes is the protective layers adults learn to build and the depth at which they bury their pain. The older they are the stronger their armor, the deeper the pain, the less they expect it to change and the more they disengage.

And the more they disengage, the more critical it becomes for managers at every level to

1. make damn sure they are not part of the problem; and then
2. make damn sure they become part of the solution in their little corner of the world.

That solution is found in the local culture, i.e., the culture you create within your own organization.

Just as adults strengthen their protective armor, bullies learn to mask their activities.

There are three things you can do, whether it is to pre-empt or stop these acts.

1. Start by publicly stating that you have zero tolerance for bullying and similar actions.
2. Create a safe path for the people in your group (whether small team or entire department) to share bullying when it happens, whether they are the target or a spectator.
3. Investigate before accusing, but follow-up is mandatory as are consequences—no matter who is involved.

And if you find yourself having to spend some of your precious resources, especially time, to accomplish this keep in mind that what goes on below you has a direct impact on your compensation.

Flickr image credit: ZedBee | Zoë Power

From the comment section of an article on best places to work:

“i used to work for [X] it was realy grate would work there if i could there not hiring”

I was appalled, to say the least.

Also curious, since I am familiar with the company and the quality of its employees.

So I followed the links and found the person’s Facebook page.

Yes, the person has a college degree. No, the person is not that young (early-mid thirties at a guess).

No, I did not make this up or “improve” the comment.

Yes, I saved the links, but have no interest in embarrassing the person. To what end?

If it wasn’t so tragic one might suspect a somewhat twisted sense of humor.

I have to assume the person made good use of spell and grammar checker at work, but those aren’t available when dashing off a comment.

To one degree or another this is who you will be hiring now and in the future.

And considering the extensive federal, state and local cuts to education don’t expect it to improve any time soon.

All I can say is good luck.

Be sure to stop by Wednesday for a look at just how important words can be.

Flickr image credit: dougbelshaw

See all mY generation posts here.

Rupert Murdoch is in making news as opposed to reporting it, so I thought I’d see if any of his past comments were applicable to the present situation. I found six statements that reflect a mindset that’s particularly interesting in light of what’s currently happening.

I think a newspaper should be provocative, stir ’em up, but you can’t do that on television. It’s just not on.

Does that mean that anything that proves provocative is OK?

I’m a catalyst for change. You can’t be an outsider and be successful over 30 years without leaving a certain amount of scar tissue around the place.

It sounds as if a lot of the people affected had enough scar tissue and didn’t really need Murdoch’s organization to increase it.

I try to keep in touch with the details… I also look at the product daily. That doesn’t mean you interfere, but it’s important occasionally to show the ability to be involved. It shows you understand what’s happening.

Makes you wonder just how “in touch” Murdoch was with the hacking details.

You can’t build a strong corporation with a lot of committees and a board that has to be consulted every turn. You have to be able to make decisions on your own.

I wonder if Murdoch would say the “you” referred to him or use it as a get out of jail free card by making others responsible.

Our reputation is more important than the last hundred million dollars.

I’d say it’s more like many hundreds of millions between the direct damage and the possible loss of BSkyB.

The buck stops with the guy who signs the checks.

If Murdoch really meant this, he would step forward and take responsibility, instead of damage control—but I’m sure not holding my breath.

Flickr image credit: World Economic Forum

I love revolutionary ideas, although the ones that fascinate me are only occasionally net-based. I tend more to stuff that exists in the real world. The following caught my attention; since there are more than you might want to read about I thought I’d include enough info for you to pick and choose the ones that would interest you most.

Ingenuity is not limited to startups; Nimbus Water Systems has been purifying water since 1968, but their latest innovation has the power to radically change our world for the better.

The company has designed a portable water-filtration system that can be easily toted to remote parts of the world to take up to 2,500 gallons per day of dirty water from a stream, a well or a tank and turn it into water that is safe to drink. … The system runs on solar power and comes in a rolling suitcase that can be checked as luggage onto commercial airplanes, carried off on a moment’s notice in response to a natural disaster or other emergency.

You’ve heard the old saying ‘fight fire with fire’? That is what Eboo Patel is dong in an effort to create a force that fosters tolerance by fighting religious bigotry.

He figured that if Muslim radicals and extremists of other religions were recruiting young people, then those who believe in religious tolerance should also enlist the youth.

Dogs are trained to sniff out a lot more than explosives and drugs; they can be trained to recognize the changes from cancer, seizures and other illnesses and, in doing so, change a life forever. Researchers are working to duplicate and apply the results to a variety of diagnostics, but they admit there is little possibility of actually duplicating a dog’s sensitivity.

Scientists are building sophisticated electronic and chemical sniffers that examine the puffs of exhaled air for telltale signs of cancer, tuberculosis, asthma and other maladies, as well as for radiation exposure.

Now, in a lighter vein…

Meet Hayden Hamilton, an entrepreneur who used his own money to develop a product that he knows may never sell—a razor that carries a price tag of $100,000.

…the Portland entrepreneur has spent four years on and off — and close to $1 million of his own money — developing a luxury alternative to the ubiquitous throwaway blade.

Do you ride a bike? Do you suffer the discomfort of essentially sitting on your groin until it’s numb? Would you change that if you could? Now you can.

“The subject matter always draws juvenile chuckles. They don’t even listen long to understand what part of a man’s anatomy is being protected here.”

Chris Miles recognized a major need for those who, intentionally or by accident, find themselves requiring the services of a lawyer.

“If I want a pizza, I can get a pizza in 15 minutes,” he says. “I can get a plumber in the middle of the night. Why can’t I get a lawyer?”

Finally, for all those women who would love to round out their pants the way the stars do there is Booty Pop, a much simpler, less arduous and all around cheaper solution than has been available previously.

Thanks to the founders of Booty Pop, you no longer have to be in the gym for hours or spend a lot on expensive plastic surgery to get a round rear.

Image credit:  MykReeve on flickr

A Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here

I hear a lot from founders about the importance of fairness.

But when it comes down to unfair actions, mostly what I hear are all the reasons that “this is different,” AKA, rationalizations.

There are very few attitudes that qualify as universal truths, but this is one of them, so if you truly want to build a winning company, make this your mantra:

There is never an acceptable reason to treat anyone (employees, customers, investors) unfairly.

How do you know when you’re being unfair?

You know, whether you admit it to another living being or not, deep down you know when you are being unfair.

You can ignore your actions and the comments they incite; practice extreme awareness avoidance regarding your reasons, rationalize them as necessary, but you know.

The solution is simply to stop; no app, fancy action list, books to read, or research to do.

You know when you do it, so you’ll know when you stop.

Option Sanity™ ensures fairness

Come visit Option Sanity for an easy-to-understand, simple-to-implement stock process.  It’s so easy a CEO can do it.

Warning.

Do not attempt to use Option Sanity™ without a strong commitment to business planning, financial controls, honesty, ethics, and “doing the right thing.” Use only as directed.

Users of Option Sanity may experience sudden increases in team cohesion and worker satisfaction. In cases where team productivity, retention and company success is greater than typical, expect media interest and invitations as keynote speaker.

Image credit: Kevin Spencer

Did you know that when Roman generals rode through the streets for their victory parade they were required to have a person in the chariot who kept repeating “Remember, you are not a god.”

Twitter, Facebook, TechCrunch, blogs and other media are the modern version of the victory parade.

What we are missing is someone to remind them, “You are not infallible; you are not a god.”

Flickr image credit: BBM Explorer

Image credit: Wesley Fryer