Are you a thinker, doer, and magnate? Do I have the opportunity for you.
Let me start out with three simple questions.
- Do you think you’re a thinker? Someone who believes you think strategically about the work you do?
- Do you think you’re a doer? Someone who knows how to get things done?
- Do you think you’re a magnate? Are you someone who can build teams of people (probably better at you at the thing you do) around an idea?
If you said yes to all these questions, then you could be just the person Angela Duckworth (of Grit fame) was looking for to be the new CEO of Character Labs.
I am not kidding.
Take a listen to this conversation with her co-host Stephen Dubner (of Freakanomics fame) as they talked about her search for the perfect CEO for her organization on a must-listen podcast, “No Stupid Questions”
Let me start out with three simple questions.
- Do you think you’re a thinker? Someone who believes you think strategically about the work you do?
- Do you think you’re a doer? Someone who knows how to get things done?
- Do you think you’re a magnate? Are you someone who can build teams of people (probably better at you at the thing you do) around an idea?
If you said yes to all these questions, then you could be just the person Angela Duckworth (of Grit fame) was looking for to be the new CEO of Character Labs.
I am not kidding.
Take a listen to this conversation with her co-host Stephen Dubner (of Freakanomics fame) as they talked about her search for the perfect CEO for her organization on a must-listen podcast, “No Stupid Questions”
You should go back and listen to the entire episode because it was, as always, delightful.
The reason I’m sharing this with you is this.
Every person looking to hire someone, add someone to their team, or give someone an opportunity is doing the exact same thing Angela did. They’re saying “these qualifications” + “this type of future thinking” = the person we should hire.
The “qualifications” part is easy. Do you have experience doing what the role asks you to do?
The “this type of future thinking” part is where we ALL keep messing up.
Why? Well, there are 3 problems here.
Problem #1: Everyone thinks they are all the words.
Go back to my original question. Based on Angela’s definition, do you think you’re a “thinker, doer, magnate”? I know I do. As I ran around this week, so did every person I asked, who thought they did too. We all do.
What is missing is HOW.
Problem #2: Every hiring manager has their version of these words.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard CEOs and other executives talk about the “I know it when I see it” moment when it comes to hiring the right person. They’ve created a picture in their head of who this person WILL be.
What is missing is WHY.
Problem #3: We don’t talk about potential perspectives.
One could forgive the HOW and WHY are missing in the recruiting language, but here’s what really disappoints me; we don’t even talk about these concepts in the interview.
We think about them all day.
We even talk about them with other people (hello — did I say, “every decision made about you and your opportunities is made in a room you’re not in?) when discussing candidates.
At best, we coach candidates and interviewers to use STAR methodologies to help each party unpack the story of how the candidate will think in the future. But at the end of the day, we don’t share stories of potential. We make them up in our heads.
If someone’s potential, who they’re going to be in the future, is the most critical thing to learn about them, then why aren’t we saying any of this out loud? What will you do if you’re wrong? As we so often are.
What’s missing is the WHAT. So the solution is simple right?
If you’re adding to your team — add the WHAT, HOW, and WHY. If you want someone to add you to a team — add your WHAT, HOW, and WHY.
Don’t know how? Well, that’s why people call me.
And based on this, if I were Angela and interviewing people for this job, I’d ask questions like this:
- We shared that we’re looking for a “thinker” I’d like to know how you would describe yourself as a thinker beyond the “standard strategic thinker”? What’s your framework for thinking through complex decisions? Why do you make decisions the way you do?
- We shared that we’re looking for a “doer” I’d like to know how you think about your time. What percentage of time do you think this role will need to spend on doing vs. planning vs. thinking? Based on what you’ve learned about the organization’s needs, what things do you think need to be done first?
- We shared that we need a “magnate” I’d love to understand your recruiting and retention process when building teams. Why do you think you’ve successfully brought people into your projects and initiatives? How have you helped people see the potential of opting into a future with you?
And for those of you that are job hunting, do you know how to answer these questions? You should. And yes, even if they don’t ask you, you SHOULD be giving them the answers. Why? Because you can teach them what they’ll be sharing about you in that “room” you’re not in.
The Future You — it’s a unique framework for solving problems, creating new things, and getting others curious about your ideas. This is the magic of the future you. The story of what this is + their opportunity = why they will hire you.
Have a question for me? Click here to submit.
PS. Yes, I work with both the “buy” and “sell” sides of the potential equation. Do you or your team need to get better at it? You know where to find me.
