Last week, for some unknown reason, I was drawn in the direction of pizza and Warren Buffett.
Interestingly enough, I discovered a man known for investing, and another for creating great pizza, think alike.
Photo courtesy of rusvaplauke
Pizza made sense. After being on a vegan diet for the last three weeks, I was craving a couple of EBA slices (everything but anchovies) and a nice cold can of Coke. The Buffett connection developed organically.
First, I read Jill Konrath’s interview of Tom Searcy, the co-author of a new book, “How To Close A Deal Like Warren Buffet.” (Download the first chapter.)
Then, I drifted towards an older book titled, “The Tao of Warren Buffet” by Mary Buffet and David Clark. This is one of those reads where you can open to any page and walk away thinking differently.
“Steve, where’s the pizza?” you’re probably asking.
I bumped into Sal Lomedico, owner of Sal’s Pizzeria, at Wegmans grocery. I was making a beeline towards the health food section, looking to replenish my mock meat inventory (seitan, soy and tempeh.) Unexpectedly, our shopping carts met at an intersection in the colorful produce department. We were happily surprised to see each other and started to chew the fat.
Sal complimented me on my blog. “It’s good stuff. I use your ideas in my business. It’s common sense. But, most people don’t pay attention to common sense” he said. I smiled ear to ear while perusing the apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pears.
Back to the “Oracle of Omaha.” If you’ve ever heard Buffet speak, he’s plain spoken. He preaches and practices common sense.
As I perused Buffetism’s in the “Tao” book, this one stood out:
“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy.”
I’ve watched numerous Buffet interviews. Whenever he talks about a new hire, he never mentions experience. He’d rather hire someone for their attitude and get them the experience. This is the basis of my job benchmarking process.
A job benchmark asks, what are the behaviors, values, and skills required for superior performance in this job?
Let’s go back to Sal. He’s interviewed thousands, and hired hundreds of students in the 14 years he’s had his pizza business. Sal is passionate about his profession and incorporates only the finest ingredients in his product. Part of the product is the people. He wants only the best, representing his company.
Sal looks for the same soft stuff Buffett is looking for. Integrity, intelligence, and energy. He also wants to understand their values. What motivates these new hires for the long haul? What do they care about? This way, Sal understands how to communicate with each player for superior performance!
Clients use my job benchmarking process to hire, retain, and develop their most important asset; human capital.
Some of the benefits of the benchmark include:
- Hire “A” players the first time
- Low turnover
- Cohesive team
- Benchmark provides an onboarding tool for new hires
- Higher profits
- Effortless communication with staff
- Hire leaders so you, as CEO, can concentrate on the bigger picture
- Hire players that are a good fit for your culture
- Employees are raving fans and your best recruiter
Are you unhappy with your hiring process? Are you sick and tired of bringing on a new hire only to find out a few months later they were the wrong choice?
Contact us to uplevel your hiring process.
Now, what dish will I whip up with this mock meat?
A big part of the product is the people in any business. So important to get that right.
Indeed Karin. The most important ingredient is human capital.