One’s Hire One’s;

Two’s Hire Three’s

“A weak link wants to be sure that there is weaker link. In that way, he is confident that he is not the point where the chain will break.”

It is human nature to recommend candidates who will make us feel comfortable and make our performance look good. Therefore, members of a selection team will recommend someone who will make their positions easier. In the case of successful people, those who have strong self images (one’s) will hire others who are strong, with a high potential for being successful (other one’s). The reason is simple: successful people realize that hiring other successful people will make their jobs easier. Conversely, people who are substandard will recommend people who are even weaker, to be sure that they look good by comparison.

One of the fastest ways for any organization to move forward is through recruiting; therefore, it is essential to find the right people. This requisite sounds simple, but it is tremendously difficult to accomplish. The question here is: will the person responsible for hiring recruit the best person? Simply put, if you don’t have the right person making the hiring decision, how can you expect the best candidate to be chosen?

To understand this concept, the levels one, two, and three, need to be defined. One’s are effective employees; they get the job done with little supervision. Two’s are satisfactory, but have demonstrated weaknesses; they can do the job but it is a challenge. Three’s are on the border of satisfactory with tendencies to dip below the line; people who are three’s need extensive supervision.

Employees who are either a two or a three struggle every day. It is only natural that these people are intimidated by those who do a good job (one’s). People who are struggling don’t like to have one’s as competitors; therefore, they will recommend people who are weaker than themselves. Their logic is simple; they don’t want the organization to consider replacing them.

In the case of a supervisor who is worried about his job, or who is in a position where he is in over his head, he does not want people who will challenge him. He is being questioned enough by those for whom he works; he does not want questions from those he supervises. It is the nature of the pecking order. In the depths of a two’s mind, it is somehow acceptable to be near the bottom, as long as there is someone still lower.

From a recruiting perspective, never expect a weak link to bring in to the organization a strong employee. Supervisors must find a way to recruit around the weak link. It is better to have a supervisor from another department (if the person is a one) select a new employee than it is to have the direct supervisor, if that person is a two.

Wonder how two’s get hired? It is when there are no one’s available.

“Bless the organization that has a ‘three’ in a hiring position because it is in big trouble.”