Anticlue: More Trouble than They're Worth

February 3, 2004

More Trouble than They're Worth

In this month''s Harvard Business Review, there is a list of Breakthrough Ideas for 2004. One listed is the "No Assholes" rule in hiring. Basically it describes "stars" that get away with abusing people. Some organizations tolerate it, other's simply implement the rule.

There are two tests listed to determine if you are dealing with a difficult person.

First, after someone talks to the alleged, do they consistently feel oppressed and belittled by the person, and, especially do they feel dramatically worse about themselves?

Second, does the alleged consistently direct his or her venom at people seens as powerless and rarely, if ever, at people who are powerful?

I think this is a great measure of the character of a person, and a good hiring rule.

Realistically the team as a whole is the most important factor at work, and having one bright star that wreaks the team, isn't really that great of a way to go.

Posted by Elyse at February 3, 2004 6:51 AM | TrackBack

Comments

But how do you find this out *before* the person is hired? Do we need to add personality testing to our interview process?

And if you have to go by "a feeling" you have during the interview process, could that "feeling" be something *you* are responsible for? A bad morning rush hour? Should we make ourselves aware of the chance that we could be turned off by your own baseless impressions of valuable potential hire?

And can someone sue because they were fired/not hired for being an @$$hole? In our society, it seems that these are the people more likely to sue.

Posted by: Leif at February 3, 2004 12:47 PM

I think the interview is a personality test. There are two sets or types of questions. Normally one asks technical questions to get the breath of the interviewee's technical experience. The other set of questions are personality questions, to get an understanding of the interviewee's personality. The most important factor is listening to what the person says and how they act. Understanding that there is a nervous factor. One has to look to how the person will fit with the team, and hear if that is possible. Afterall listening is an enormous component in managing.

Posted by: Elyse at February 3, 2004 7:19 PM