Hiring and Recruiting: Google and the NFL
JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf,
and Tony Mandarich. Each of these names
causes NFL owners and general managers to shudder. They are known as three of the NFL’s top draft
“busts” to ever occur in professional football lore. What happened? They were amazing college athletes; they had
the skill, talent, and athleticism to perform at the sport’s highest
level. Yet, each barely played a handful
of years and in their unsuccessful wake left recruiters unemployed and general
managers penniless.
Each spring brings hope for National Football league
(NFL) teams, especially those that had poor win-loss records in the previous
season. The NFL draft is held in April
and is the opportunity for teams to improve their roster by adding those
college players considered to be the most talented in the world (Bonsor, 2008).
Because of the impact each member makes
on the team as a whole, the NFL draft has become a popular televised
event. Fans and prognosticators alike
drink beer and eat hot wings while anticipating the next big name to turn
around their franchise.
At Google, there’s no televised draft, no wings, and
little fanfare. However, the process for
recruiting people may be no-less difficult.
NFL personnel directors paste their office walls with potential
recruits: speed, strength, experience, and mental fortitude separate one
prospect from another. At Google,
company experts measure the “academic qualification, intelligence, intellectual
flexibility, passion, and commitment” of potential recruits. Those measuring the highest are selected to
join a team unlike any organization worldwide.
And, from the looks of it, Google is the Bill Belichick (coach of the
New England Patriots), of the Internet.
Schmidt said, “At Google, we give the impression of not
managing the company because we don’t, really. It sort of has its own “Borg-like” quality, if
you will—it sort of moves forward.”
Google is the brain-child of trendsetting and corporate culture
transformation. Christine Hernandez (2008)
from Yahoo said, “Google has one of the most interesting organizational
cultures. They reward their employee’s
hard work with an extremely relaxed workplace that encourages creativity
through fun activities such as roller hockey and a casual dress code.” Isn’t Yahoo a competitor?
Note to self: How do you know when you’re “good?”
Answer: When your competitors shout your praise.
Does the Google culture make sense to me? It’s
hard to argue with success. In 2007, the
New England Patriots drafted Randy Moss.
With nine years in the league and a rap sheet a mile long, the Patriots
invested millions into Moss and brought him aboard to join a team with a
reserved, conservative feel. Moss came
with baggage: alcohol incidents, drug use, traffic violations, and hundreds of
questions surrounding his level of effort. But, one thing was certain. Moss had amazing talent. He is known as one of the most athletic men
to ever play the game.
When Belichick chose Moss, fans gasped. However, his first year with the Patriots
silenced critics. The team would finish
with a record 16-0 only to lose the Super Bowl. However, Moss set numerous
reception records and was selected to the Pro Bowl. Belichick understands culture. So does Schmidt, Page, and Brin. Google used to conduct nearly 15 interviews
before they made a hiring decision. Now,
they’ve narrowed it down to five.
Google, like the Patriots, know a few things about talent selection.
Is this a reasonable way to view the work that most people are doing in
your workplace?
About employees, Schmidt said, “They don’t need me.
They’re going to do it anyway, because they’re driven; they have that passion.
They’re going to do it for their whole lives. It’s everything they’ve ever
wanted. And, oh yeah, maybe they could use a little help from me.” Managers get stuck when they have to motivate
unmotivated employees. Trying to “light
a fire” and inspire someone who has no focus or purpose is like trying to drive
a car with square wheels: no matter the energy exerted, the car isn’t
moving. Google hires the motivated. This is an ideal situation and in these
cases, leaders primarily coach and encourage.
Unfortunately, not everyone loves their job. Some are working for practical reasons: Pay,
pay, and more pay.
Whether it is football or data entry, finding people with
passion AND talent can be difficult.
With that said, my experience has shown me that even if an employee does
not live and die their profession, they can still be motivated intrinsically to
perform at higher levels without the fear of being benched. Or worse.
I’ve been doing logistics for nearly thirty years and honestly, I do not
LOVE logistics. It’s a job that allows
me to make a difference in people’s lives; it lets me work near
state-of-the-art aircraft; and, I’m good at it.
But love? No, not even close. I
love helping people and I love Air Force capability. This job allows me to do both.
As a leader, does it take courage to have and to implement this point
of view?
I had written a note the other day to one of my
colleagues defining delegation. It read: “Leadership 101: Delegation. The art
of asking someone to do something you’re worried won’t get done.” In 10
Virtues of Outstanding Leaders, Gini and Green said, “More relevant to
leadership today is “moral courage.” Here one confronts a multitude of things
that terrify people: fear of criticism or embarrassment; fear of poverty or job
loss; fear of losing friends or being ostracized – even fear of being seen to
be in the wrong. Overcoming self-doubt can be an expression of courage.
Courageous leaders hold fast to their key purposes when these fears assault
them and when there is no certainty that the leader will prevail. Courage thus
involves the exercise of good judgment about risks and dangers, followed by the
considered willingness to carry on in the face of these dangers. The courageous
person lacks the certainty of success but dares to act on the basis of a
reasoned assessment of the risks.”
Whether it’s storming a battlefield or trusting an
employee, leaders must have courage.
They must possess courage to believe in people when they doubt
themselves and courage to coach men and women to replace them one day. And, in the case of hiring and recruiting,
courage to hire and release people to carry on responsibilities of a company
you love.
Could this approach backfire?
Risk
is inevitable. I do not doubt Google
managers occasionally “trim the fat” and dismiss employees that have faltered
or those who failed to live up to the expectations when hired. Yes, Google’s relaxed culture could backfire
but only if their leaders get complacent and fail to keep their fingers on the
pulse of the industry. Corporate
cultures evolve. From the traditional
sweatshops and assembly lines to work teams and flatter organizations, cultures
adapt to the environment. While I wouldn’t
bet that the Google culture will last forever, it certainly has the flair and
innovation that has captured an industry and set a new standard.
What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your
career?
I’ve
learned that it is better to do the work on the front end than pay later on the
back end. In other words, take the
necessary time during the interview process to ensure (as much as possible)
that the employee is a right fit.
Moreover, written credentials won’t necessarily ensure the right
person. Bill Hybels identified three
characteristics for a good team fit: Character, Competence, and Chemistry. Lacking any of these elements will inevitably
lead to problems down the road. Ensure
these three elements are present and a foundation is established for future
success.
Steve
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