The Success Guardian

Ideally, we aim to recruit individuals who possess both the appropriate attitude and aptitude. However, if forced to pick between the two, I would always select the individual with the appropriate attitude.

This method is backed up by research that indicates that 80 percent of our performance is determined by our EQ, compared to 20% by our IQ. This suggests that aptitude contributes just around 20% to our success.

Three reasons why it is preferable to recruit for attitude rather than talent.

1. Skills are simpler to teach than Attitude.

When individuals possess the appropriate attitude, they are both driven and adaptive, making them more receptive to acquiring new abilities. With the correct attitude and sufficient work, the majority of new talents may be swiftly learned. Whereas increasing attitude often entails altering behaviors, which is always far more difficult to do, since individuals must want change, which is unlikely to occur without the appropriate attitude.

2. An individual’s Attitude may have an effect on overall performance.

When individuals have the incorrect attitude, integrating them into the business may be as difficult as attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole. They may simply conflict with the organization’s culture, obstruct cooperation, create dissatisfaction, and have a negative influence on overall performance.

According to Gallup studies on employee engagement, only around 30% of employees are engaged, 50% are disengaged, and 20% are actively disengaged. These are often the persons with the worst attitudes; they are not happy with their attitude of disengagement; they want to enhance it among the rest of the team.

This is often seen in sports, when highly competent individuals struggle to fit in with their teammates, resulting in conflict and unhappiness. As a result, they are let go, and team performance nearly instantly improves. This is referred to as “addition by subtraction.”

As leaders, we want to build teams in which the total of the parts surpasses the sum of the parts, and a positive attitude makes this possible.

3. The proper attitude is capable of overcoming challenges.

Everybody has heard the adage “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” If it were about ability, the proverb would be ‘when the going gets difficult, the wise get going’. However, this is not the case.

We will always confront obstacles and tough times, and it is at these times that qualities such as resolve, perseverance, and perseverance shine through. Having the necessary talents but without the will to put them to use will not help us overcome obstacles and achieve success.

When recruiting, we must place a premium on attitude as well as technical skill sets. However, the majority of interview questions are aptitude-focused, and we must ensure that we ask the appropriate questions to ascertain their attitude, such as their honesty, initiative, drive, tenacity, and resilience, among others.

We need to inquire about the obstacles they overcame, how they handled failure, and how they handled circumstances that were above their existing capabilities.

Individuals may feign attitude during an interview, and we must examine these areas and listen to the language used to ascertain their genuine attitude. Are they able to respond in the past tense, provide specific instances, and go into detail? If they are unable to do so, they most likely lack the attitude we need.

Additionally, we must grasp our organization’s attitude and seek for candidates that are a suitable match. We need to provide a blueprint for the attitude we want. To do this, we need examine our top achievers’ mindsets. What are their soft talents that contribute to their success?

The ramifications for recruiting somebody with the incorrect attitude are considerable. According to studies, 46% of new recruits fail within the first 18 months, and 85% of these failures are due to attitude. This suggests that 40% of all new recruits fail due to attitude difficulties.

As I said at the outset, I would like to recruit personnel with the appropriate attitude and aptitude, but if I can only get one of them, I will choose attitude every time.