A-Level Talent Defined

By Bruce Powell & Deanna MacDougal

Many times we've talked about how smart companies can succeed by seeking out and hiring A-players. But as one astute reader recently queried, "How exactly do you define A-level talent? How do you know it when you see it and how do you find employees with it? Where do they come from? And how do I ensure that I'm perceived as A-level talent when I'm in the marketplace?"

Asking your HR department to go out and hire A-players is like asking someone to go out and buy a 'good' bottle of wine. Without defining your context or basis for comparison there's no consensus on the specific qualities that constitute 'good'. Everyone's taste in wine is different and the definition of 'good' is often relative to the 'price', 'region', 'availability' and 'fit' with the rest of the meal.

So too goes the definition of A-level talent. Different people have different perceptions of what defines a 'good employee' and, like the example with the wine, everyone's 'taste' (perception of an individual) is uniquely personal.

So how specifically does IQ PARTNERS define an A-player, and how do we find top performers for our clients? We sat down with Managing Partner, Bruce Powell, and Partner, Deanna MacDougal, to get their thoughts on A-players in the workplace.

Q: How does IQ PARTNERS define A-level talent?

Bruce Powell: At IQ PARTNERS we define A-level talent as the top 10 per cent of all possible candidates 'available' for a specific job – i.e. accessible in a given market, willing to work at a specific company, and within a designated compensation range. This is relatively consistent with the evaluation methodology outlined by Bradford Smart, Ph.D. in his well-regarded book, Topgrading.

The most important thing is to have specific, consistent and measurable evaluation criteria – and to have all the players in the hiring process deeply aware of and using these same criteria to evaluate prospective employees.

Too often companies enter into their hiring process with loosely or non-defined criteria - the "I'll know them when I see them" approach. Unfortunately, this method is often fraught with failure. Without formal evaluation criteria, we often make hiring decisions based on emotional and subjective reasoning. In fact, even when formal criteria are in place, we've seen client's set-aside negative facts and hire with their hearts. Occasionally this works out, but more often it does not.

This isn't to say that the evaluation criteria are all based on hard-skills. In fact, the elements requiring a far stricter evaluation process are usually the soft, intangible facets of a person's make-up: how they think, how they communicate, how they relate to other people (their EQ), their fit with the team, their ability to self-motivate, how they manage stress and whether or not they're resourceful. These are just a few of the criteria we've incorporated into customized SmartFACTOR assessments for some of our clients.

We also advocate having as many people as possible involved in the hiring process – providing everyone works from a consistent evaluation criteria. This allows the most broadly-based and truly objective assessment of the best resource. Ultimately, strict evaluation criteria quantitatively measured and objectively assessed will result in a prioritized ranking of 'available' candidates for any specific job. After that, it's easy to define the top 10 per cent- the A-level players.

Q: Tell us more about the attributes that differentiate A-level talent.

Deanna MacDougal: The first thing you notice about A-level talent is their vision, and their ability to create a vision that is strategically sound. The second is their innate self-awareness, positive attitude, relentless resourcefulness, and open approach to business. A-level talent also communicate clearly and can make the most difficult concepts sound easy. They can distill things down so that others readily understand the situations, tasks, actions and business results.

Another thing you'll observe about A-level talent is their sensitivity to all people. This speaks to their integrity, which is ironclad. They take full accountability for their actions, and will always look within to find things they could've done to make the situation better. They are often good coaches and take the time to teach others. It's not surprising that A-level people usually have a great track record of success.

Bruce Powell: I agree, and what makes this question difficult to answer is the unique combination of attributes that define A-level talent. Many, like attitude, temperament and common-sense intellect, are intangible, which makes them difficult to evaluate.

What I've found is that A-level people often have personal qualities that are deeply engrained in who they are and what they aspire to be. They're intuitively good at doing what's necessary and they understand the subtle balance between formal skills and the critical social skills necessary to succeed in business today. And though they may have experienced the occasional career faux pas, they didn't leave the experience without converting it into a tremendous learning opportunity. If I had to define them simply, I'd say "smart and humble".

Deanna MacDougal: It's intrinsic whether a person is an A-level player or not. It's encoded in a person's DNA, in his or her personal and professional makeup, and the characteristics are often intertwined and overlapping.

Q: Ok, so how do you find A-level employees?

Bruce Powell: The most obvious way is to look for the current top performers at other companies. A-level individuals are rarely looking for a new job. They're usually advanced internally or recruited externally to new positions. You need to understand your marketplace, know exactly what you're looking for, and have an "always-on" search strategy.

Deanna MacDougal: Also, people don't walk around with A-level branded on their forehead; discerning whether a person is A-level takes more than just a casual interview. Without probing deeply to determine the foundation of a person's skill set, it's hard to know if they're A-level material or not. It takes a systematic and diligent interview process to dig down and really find the true nature of a person. Therefore, it's worthwhile to get as many perspectives as possible on prospective candidates, and it's smart to have someone else interview the people you're considering to hire because a third-party can provide a more objective assessment.

You have to remember that some people interview very well because they do it often and they've mastered the ability to be personable and congenial. Other people may interview poorly, but this might be because most of their career has been dedicated to succeeding in their current job, rather than looking for a new job and perfecting their interview techniques.

Q: How do otherwise talented people become perceived as A-level?

Deanna MacDougal: It comes down to the way you think about your professional and personal goals and relationships. You need to be passionate about what you're doing, and you also need to be open-minded to new activities. When you think of limits you create them.

Bruce Powell: A-level talent has generally always been A-level talent. They've always had certain skills, personality or nature that drives them to succeed at a higher level of performance than the average person. Occasionally people evolve into A-level talent - through experience, maturity or a personal epiphany and then start to bring a new level of insight and intelligence to their life and career.

Q: Final comments?

Bruce Powell: Remember, there are A-level players at each and every level. It sounds a bit cliché, but the best thing that people can do is to find work they feel passionate about – and then do the absolute best work they can within that role. The most successful senior-management A-players usually got there by working in progressive, evolutionary positions – and making sure they were an A-level player at each level.

Deanna MacDougal: The best way to optimize your workforce is always to hire the best person for a job. And the best way to be perceived as the best person for the job is to have a demonstrated track-record of success – at every level.

- Bruce Powell, Managing Partner, established IQ PARTNERS as an integrated HR Services company - providing a broader range of services to help entrepreneurial companies better manage their people resources. [Full bio]

- Deanna MacDougal, Partner, specializes in recruiting for the consumer goods and services marketplace. She believes in helping people build successful careers so they can achieve their personal end goals. [Full bio]