Jody’s face was red. Not an embarrasing red, but one of anger. “I just sat through my quarterly review and my manager gave me some feedback that I find difficult to take,” she said.

“Tell me more,” I replied.

“The last two people I hired are underperforming. And, they’ve both been here for six weeks, so we are finished with orientation, finished with initial training, they know what time to show up for work and where the coffee machine is. But, they aren’t cutting it.”

“And, you are in the hot seat, I suppose?”

“Yes, and I don’t know how to defend my hiring decision. Both candidates came highly recommended, had a ton of experience and showed a lot of promise in the interview,” she explained.

“The recommendations came from whom?” I wanted to know.

“One was a former boss who wrote a glowing letter, but at the same time, was the one who made the decision to terminate. The other was a technical consultant, and, yes, was a friend of the candidate we hired. I had high hopes for both of them.”

“And what do you know now that you didn’t know six weeks ago?” I asked.

“Experience doesn’t mean much. Just because someone performed brilliantly in one place, doesn’t mean they will do so somewhere else. It’s a different company, with a different team, different customers and a different service mix. And, just because I can see potential doesn’t mean the potential is real, it just means I had my fingers crossed.”

“I know most managers want prospective candidates with potential, to grow and develop, to take increasing accountability. And, most managers have their fingers crossed. You know my bias, that I will never hire anyone without evidence of skill, disposition or character. So, if you want to hire someone with potential, what does evidence of potential look like? Two clues, interview for error rate and deadlines.”