Top Grading

Tandem Topgrading Interviews — One Questions While One Takes Notes

Use tandem top grading interviews where two people interview simultaneously - one asks questions while the other takes notes, allowing deeper focus on responses and pattern detection

A-Players Respond Quickly — Lower Performers Reveal Themselves in Email

Enter into email dialogue with best candidates and observe response patterns - A-players respond quickly and professionally, while lower performers reveal disqualifying information.

Chronological Interview Technique for Spotting A-Players

Team up with another A-player in your company to conduct chronological interviews asking specific questions about past successes and future plans to identify high performers

What Separates a Driver From a Paycheck Employee

A 'driver' is someone who takes ownership of delivering results rather than just working for a paycheck, developing the ability to motivate themselves and get back on track

Interview Tactic: Spot Recurring Job-Departure Patterns

Look for behavioral patterns throughout someone's entire work history during interviews - people often leave jobs for the same reasons repeatedly without realizing it

Pay People Based on Their ROI to You

Pay people exactly what they're worth based on ROI calculation - if someone wants $100,000 but they're worth $1 million to you, do the math and pay them appropriately

Personal Message Filter That Screens Out 70% of Bad Candidates

Ask candidates to write personal messages answering specific questions instead of submitting resumes, which immediately disqualifies 50-70% of unqualified applicants.

Hire Intrinsically Motivated People — Never Try to Motivate

Find intrinsically motivated people rather than trying to motivate unmotivated ones—if you're asking how to motivate your team, you made an upstream hiring mistake.

Build a Virtual Bench With 3–6 Months of Osmosis

Build a 'virtual bench' through a 3-6 month osmosis process of getting to know potential hires through conversations and relationship building before formal hiring

A-Players Question You — B and C Players Want Any Job

A-players are as interested in questioning you and learning about your business as you are in questioning them, while B and C players are just looking for any job.

A Players Seek Challenge While C Players Avoid It

A players naturally gravitate toward other A players and challenging situations, while C players avoid discomfort and prefer hanging out with other low performers

Test Potential Hires With a Paid 10-Hour Project

Test potential hires with small paid projects during the getting-to-know period - give them a 10-hour project at their hourly rate to evaluate their work quality

Budget Three Months for Meaningful Hire Onboarding

Accept training investment risk for significant hires - budget for 3 months of onboarding costs because meaningful players can't be productive in just a few days

A Players Commit Where C Players Hedge

A players give you confidence about weekend deadlines by committing to do whatever it takes, while C players say they'll 'try their best' leaving you worried

The True Cost of a Mis-Hire: 20 Times Annual Salary

Mis-hires cost approximately 20 times their annual salary when accounting for lost productivity, training costs, damaged relationships, and cleanup efforts

Hiring ROI Calculated as Risk-to-Reward Ratio

Calculate hiring ROI risk-to-reward ratios - willing to risk $12,000 in training costs for a 50% probability of generating an extra $50,000 monthly return

Write Job Ads in a Candid Personal Tone Not a Skills List

Write job ads in a friendly, candid, personal tone explaining exactly what you want and don't want, rather than listing formal skills and qualifications.

Top Grade from the Top Down in Hiring

Top grade from the top down because C player managers will be threatened by A player employees, leading to high turnover and frustrated high performers

Cost of a Mishire 150 Hours and 1.5M

The average mishire wastes 150 hours annually and costs companies $1.5 million according to research from 52 companies with $100,000 average salaries

Daily Update System Creates Documentation for Hard Conversations

The Daily Update system provides clear documentation for termination conversations by focusing on the one consistent request that wasn't fulfilled

Your Top Twenty People Determine Whether Your Business Matters

The quality of your team determines business importance - Microsoft would become unimportant without their top 20 people out of 20,000 employees

Add One High-Quality Person Every 90 Days

Build your tribe intentionally by adding one high-quality person every 90 days - over 25 years you can build a network of 100 influential people

Recruit Ahead of Need to Properly Evaluate Candidates

The worst time to hire is when you need someone immediately; start recruiting 3 months ahead when you have time to properly evaluate candidates

Hire Drivers — People With Ownership and Proactive Orientation

Hire drivers who show proactive behavior, result orientation, sense of ownership, and personal responsibility rather than just skilled workers

A-Players Perform Twice as Well and Grow into Bigger Roles

A-players are not just a little better than average - they perform twice as well and naturally grow into higher roles within the organization

Pre-Existing Team Chemistry Accelerates Business Success

Pre-existing team chemistry accelerates business success when stars have established working relationships before tackling new opportunities

Superstars Work for Impact Not for Money

Superstars work for impact, not for money - they want to make a difference in the world and see how their work changes things for the better

Resourcefulness Built Only Through High-Stakes Real-World Situations

Resourcefulness is the most important hiring quality and requires putting yourself in high-stakes situations where you must find solutions

Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake

Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them'—is one of the most dangerous and prevalent mistakes in business hiring.

Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake

Emotional estimation is most dangerous when hiring - saying 'I really like this person' is a red flag that indicates poor hiring judgment

Hardest People Decisions Involve Early Team Members

The toughest people decisions entrepreneurs face involve those closest to them who helped start or build the company but now drag it down

Hire Stars Only — All or Nothing Approach to Talent

Hiring decisions should follow an 'all or nothing' approach, committing exclusively to star performers rather than accepting mediocrity

Creative Leaders Hire Disorganized Creatives Without Guidance

Creative people in leadership positions tend to hire other disorganized creative people just like themselves when left without guidance

Hiring for Drivers — People Who Deliver Results

Look for 'drivers' - people who take responsibility and like to deliver results, even if they're not the most charismatic or polished

Avoid Cute Names — Spending Money Is Serious Business

High-quality mastermind communities composed of ambitious, smart entrepreneurs provide valuable networking and learning opportunities

Stars Create Exponential Network Effects When Combined

Stars create a network effect where their combined performance follows 1+1=3 mathematics, with exponential returns as more are added

Serial Interview Technique Reveals Excuse Patterns vs Results

Conduct serial interviews covering every job a candidate has ever had to identify patterns of excuses versus results-driven behavior

C-Players Convert A-Players Into B and C-Players

C-players not only underperform but actively convert A-players into B and C-players while repelling other top talent from joining

Build a Virtual Bench Through Relationship Interviews

Build a 'virtual bench' by treating interviews as relationship-building processes over time rather than single evaluation events

Why Consultants Talk and Expect You to Execute

Consultants and advisors are typically smooth talkers who expect you to implement their ideas rather than executing themselves

Identify One Core Strength Candidates Must Excel At

Focus on identifying one core strength that candidates must excel at, then let driven people figure out the additional skills

Stars Resist Orders — Authoritarian Management Creates Friction

Stars don't respond well to being told what to do - authoritarian tactics create friction like 'pouring sand in their motor'

When Stars Make Costly Mistakes, Focus on the Lesson Not the Loss

When star employees make costly mistakes, focus on learning rather than punishment to maintain team loyalty and performance

Build a Virtual Bench Around Specific Talent Strengths Not Job Titles

Build a 'virtual bench' by identifying future roles and specific talent strengths needed, not just general job descriptions

Email Exchanges to Evaluate Candidate Thinking Style

Use email exchanges and advice requests during the relationship building phase to evaluate how candidates think and respond

How to Get Better Depth From Customer Survey Responses

If you have to force greatness, you have the wrong person - stars will perform naturally and you'll have to hold them back

Find Mentors Who Are Slightly Ahead of You

The best people to see your potential are those roughly like you in talent who developed their gifts to a very high level

Five-Minute Daily Updates Assess Team Performance

Implement a five-minute daily update system covering results, challenges, and questions to assess team member performance

Proactively Build Relationships With Future Star Hires

Spend 10% of your time proactively connecting with potential future team members and building relationships with stars

Smooth Talkers Are Typically Poor Executors

Smooth talkers are typically poor executors despite their impressive communication abilities and system design skills

Hiring Stars Is Required Even When Working From Home

Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you can skip hiring stars and running your business professionally

Use Serial Interviews to Find Candidates Who Finish Projects

Use serial in-depth interviews to discover if candidates have a proven track record of driving projects to completion

Test Candidates with Live Work Tasks Not Just Interviews

Test prospective team members by having them do actual work tasks live to reveal their real performance capabilities

Sales Rep Mishires Cost Six Times Base Salary

Sales rep mishires cost an average of $583,000 or about 6 times base salary according to surveys of sales managers

Watch for Sticky People Who Build Political Systems Around Themselves

Watch for 'sticky people' who build political systems and create dependencies that make them difficult to remove

Moving the Free Line — The Most Valuable Marketing Concept

Have trusted people with different skill sets interview your candidates to reveal blind spots you can't perceive

Telling Star Performers They Are the Expert

Tell star performers they're the expert, you need them to take responsibility and tell you what needs to be done

Different Personality Types Catch Blind Spots in Interviews

Different personality types and skill sets will see qualities in candidates that you have no way of perceiving

Recruit 6 to 9 Months Ahead by Projecting Future Growth

Approach recruitment conversations by projecting future growth and asking for referrals 6-9 months in advance

Take Complete Responsibility — You Can Only Change Yourself

Take complete responsibility for your thoughts and actions - you can only change yourself, not other people

Hiring for Passion and Completed Project Track Record

Look for passion and a successful track record of driving projects to completion when hiring top performers

Employees-Suck Attitude Creates Confirmation Bias

The 'employees suck' attitude creates confirmation bias where you only see validation of employee failures

Cross-Department Interview Teams for Comprehensive Evaluation

Use multiple team members from different departments to interview candidates for comprehensive evaluation

Group Debrief Process After Multi-Interviewer Candidate Review

Conduct group debriefs after multiple people interview a candidate to piece together behavioral patterns

Star Performers Must Contribute 3-10x Their Pay

Star performers need to contribute 3-10x more value than what you pay them for the business math to work

Hire Star Performers Who Think Long-Term

Find star performers who operate on long-term thinking rather than short-term incentive-driven behavior

Only Hire Stars in a High-Growth Company

In rapidly growing companies, only hire stars while helping disadvantaged people outside your business

Superstars Work for Impact, Not for Money

Superstars work for impact rather than money and want to see the world change because of what they do

Building a Virtual Team from One Person to Seventy

Virtual team building can start with one person at $6/hour and scale to 70 full-time workers globally

Investigate Weird Signals With New Team Members Immediately

Investigate immediately when sensing anything weird with new team members to prevent major problems

Team Underperformance Is 100% the Leader's Fault

Take full responsibility when team members don't perform - it's 100% the leader's fault, not theirs

One in 31 People Are Under Legal Supervision

One in 31 people are under legal system supervision, requiring vigilance in business relationships

Identify Three Referral Sources for Every Role You Plan to Fill

Identify three specific people you can contact for referrals to each role you're planning to fill

Great Leaders Make Other People Successful

Great leaders lead from behind by making other people successful and helping them become leaders

Seeking Validation Over Truth Keeps You Blind to Your Gaps

Hiring people based on emotional liking rather than data leads to expensive mistakes

Surround Yourself With People Better Than You to Accelerate Growth

Surround yourself with people better than you to accelerate growth and learning

Pairing Smooth Talkers with Organizers for Execution

Pair smooth talkers with organizers to ensure execution and results delivery

The 4 Keys of Marketing Success and Why Order Matters

Sticky people are smooth talkers who build political systems and create black boxes that only they understand. They become dangerous because they make themselves indispensable by controlling critical systems, making removal difficult once problems are discovered.

A Players vs C Players Behavioral Differences

A players hang out with other A players, take responsibility, and seek challenging situations. C players avoid discomfort, prefer other C players, and actively undermine high performers because they feel threatened by their strategic thinking and ambitious goals.

Why Hiring Friends and Family Destroys Businesses

No, hiring friends and family is a great way to destroy a business. It creates weird relationship dynamics, makes performance management difficult, and often results in people who rely on you for employment rather than contributing to growth.

When to Narrow or Remove Team Member Responsibilities

Evaluate key team members honestly a couple times per year to determine if the company is outgrowing them. If someone can't function at a high performer level, narrow their responsibilities so they can succeed or help them transition out.

Chronological Interview Questions Paired with A Player

Team up with another A player and conduct chronological interviews asking specific questions about past successes and future plans. Ask for specifics around achievements and use the patterns you discover to assess relevant competencies.

C Player Managers Drive Out A Player Talent

C player managers will be threatened by A player employees, leading to high turnover and frustrated high performers. You must have A players in management positions first, then they'll naturally hire other A players below them.

How to Spot the Smooth Talker Who Will Never Execute

Look for people with extra polish and charisma who seem way too together. They excel at drawing beautiful system diagrams and describing architectures but consistently fail to execute over 6-12 month periods.

Pair Visionaries With Organizers to Get Results

Pair them with an organizer who can keep their eye on them and ensure results. This can be through direct reporting, partnership, or support arrangements to make sure actual work gets completed.

True Cost of a Bad Sales Hire

According to Brad Smart's research, the average mishire costs $1.5 million (15 times base salary) for positions with $100,000 average salaries, and wastes 150 hours annually in management time.

Stars Perform Without Pushing — If You Push It's Wrong Person

Stars will naturally perform at high levels and you'll have to hold them back rather than push them forward. If you're forcing performance, you have the wrong person.

Leader's Full Responsibility When Team Members Underperform

The leader is 100% responsible for team member non-performance. It means you either hired the wrong person or created the wrong environment for them to succeed.

Start Recruiting 6-9 Months Before You Actually Need to Hire

Start building relationships with potential team members 6-9 months before you actually need to hire them, based on your projected business growth.

The most dangerous hiring mistake is emotional estimation - making decisions based on liking someone rather than their ability to perform the job.

Spend 10 Percent of Your Time Building High-Performer Relationships

Spend about 10% of your time connecting with people who could be good future team members and building relationships with high-performers.

Why a Timer Forces Productive Focus

75% of all hires are mis-hires according to Brad Smart, author of Top Grading. This means only 1 in 4 hires are actually successful.

Motive vs Motivation in Leadership and Influence

Eben distinguishes between motive and motivation as fundamental to effective leadership and influencing behavior. Understanding this difference is crucial for collaboration and team building.

A Players Challenge Themselves C Players Avoid Discomfort

A players hang out with A players, and C players hang out with C players. A players take responsibility, like to be around people that challenge them, like to be around challenging situations. C players like to avoid anything that's going to make them uncomfortable or challenge them in any way.

Tandem Topgrading Reveals What Relationship-Building Hides

I'm surprised all the time when we we have our process of getting to know someone over time and then we do we use Brad Smart's system of doing a tandem top grading interview what comes out of these relationship building steps what we learn it's incredible

C Players Exclude A Players From Their Circle

The C players not only like to hang out with C players go out and have a beer after work They don like those A players around They a pain in the neck

Weak Hires Give You Gray Hair and Cost a Fortune

if you start putting pencil to paper on the costs, the financial costs and the times of having weak people reporting to you, it gives you gray hair.

High Performers Make Teams More Fun and Productive

Whereas if you have a team of high performers, you're going to have a lot more fun because you can be a lot more productive.

Watching Their Mouth Instead of Their Work: The Hiring Blind Spot

I have been thinking that this has been working the whole time because I've been watching their mouth and not their work

Job-Hoppers Who Never See Their Own Pattern

they won't realize that every time they left a job it was for the same reason and it was a bad one

Topgrade from the Top Down — First Principle

the first principle of top grading, you know, Evan, is top grade from the top down.

Smooth Talkers Are Rarely Smooth Doers

smooth talkers usually aren't smooth doers

Pay Them Exactly What They're Worth

pay them what they're worth