Unoriginal Wisdom #2: Decisions over Discussions

Embrace strong, well supported opinions and be courageous enough to lead with yours.?

While working for one of my former employers, we designed a multi-interview process that took every candidate through 4 discrete interviews: behavioral, technical, problem-solving, and top-grading.? At the end of the process, all interviewers would debrief to arrive at a consensus for a hiring decision.?

Before my first debrief, I imagined that meeting as an opportunity to hear the perspectives of others, consider the full picture and formulate an opinion on next steps by the end of the debrief.? Boy was I wrong. I was quickly corrected when I discovered that the agenda for the meeting left no room for this.?The expectation was to lead with your own hire / no-hire decision and a 30 second summary in support of your decision.? Being 'on the fence' was not an option. Managing the meeting this way was both expedient and avoided group-think.? Leading well includes bringing a strong, well supported point of view with you.

Rob Borrego and Alexandra Basso Moore were instrumental in driving this point home.? Thanks Rob and Alex!