Comments on: Fire Someone Today

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 19:19:24 +0000

This is the most interesting management book title I have ever seen.

By: akbar

akbar — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:16:20 +0000

NEW MODEL AND METHOD FOR BUSINESS FROM INDONESIA

By: Steve Farber

Steve Farber — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 21:19:08 +0000

I do think that it comes down to this: “Hire people that are a good fit for your particular company because they want to be there.” I often tell the story about recruiters at Gillette who passed on the hiring of a qualified B-school graduate because she said (in her last interview), “I’m not sure I want to spend the rest of my life worrying about underarms.”

We need to look for people who’ll bring their hearts into the work, whether it’s making razor blades or software or…whatever–the people, in other words, who want to be there.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:51:42 +0000

Sounds like a great book. I have found that enthusiasm, and ability and willingness to learn, can more than make up for a lack of specific credentials or knowledge.

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 22:21:13 +0000

Both good points. Although I think it is rarer, there are those bosses who would rather fire than invest time in someone that has a lot of potential.

And to David’s point on hiring, that is why I never use a script for interviews. I have a few standard questions but other than that I like to let the conversation unfold and see how much people know and what they think. If they are trying to BS their way through something, it usually shows quickly.

I had a lady from HR interview me once and she just read me a list of questions and wrote down the answers. I sounded much smarter than I really am because it was easy to give a broad answer to something I didn’t know much about, and let her move on to the next question. She never pushed for clarification.

By: david foster

david foster — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 21:08:24 +0000

“hire people that say things like”…I’m dubious about the four examples given; they also seem subject to exhibition of simulated enthusiasm. Rather than someone who says “I am really interested in the technology/tools you use, and I want to learn more about them,” I’d be more interested in *evidence* that the candidate is interested…like, he has read about the technology/tools to the extent that he is able to intelligently discuss them to at least some level.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 19:15:00 +0000

So Bob says that “we hold on to people who should be fired… because we are selfish and lazy.” So true.

But does he also say the we “fire” people for the exact same reason?