Probably the best acronym I’ve stumbled across this week has been HubSpot’s H-E-A-R-T. HEART is effectively a reference card for employers during the hiring process of a new employee. It sets a guideline to say “hey, this guy has a stellar resume but maybe their attitude doesn’t fit in with the rest of the company’s workforce mentality”. HEART also quickly stops the addition of workforce “fluff” or “fat” (you know, the employees who were hired because of their overkill resume and their bright and shiny smiles during the interviewing process but whom ultimately produce abysmal results at best and cause tension between other employees in their departments). I’ve always been critical of workforce fat and am always looking for ways to help get a company lean and trim the fat. Workforce fat doesn’t only infuriate employees that are producing results and putting in the effort but it also drains the company financials (every paycheck that an employee doesn’t provide a return for) and brings department morale down.
If an employee’s name is not showing up in documents or if the employee is not being utilized by other employees when they need help then that should be a major red flag. It means that the employee is either incompetent and other employees have picked up on that and don’t want them involved in their hard work or that the employee is just not producing results and other employees aren’t sure what to make of this paid chair-weight.
The breakdown of HEART is as follows and I urge employers to take a look at this and keep it in mind the next time they’re about to hire someone.
· Humble. They’re modest despite being awesome. They’re self-aware and respectful.
· Effective. They get (stuff) done. They measurably move the needle and immeasurably add value.
· Adaptable. They’re constantly changing, life-long learners.
· Remarkable. They have a super-power that makes them stand out: Remarkably smart, remarkably creative, remarkably resourceful…
· Transparent. They’re open and honest with others – and with themselves.
The article I reference in this is titled the “5 Hiring Mistakes That Can Crush Your Company’s Culture” and can be found here: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130424215359-658789-5-hiring-mistakes-that-can-crush-your-company-s-culture