Companies Hire for Technical Skills and Fire for Behavior

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It’s no secret that these days, Leadership and Leadership Presence Training is very much center stage  in HR circles. And, it would appear, with good reason. There is an immediate need, now let’s go a step further and say there’s a sense of urgency, to increase the standard of behavior among staff at all levels. 

What seems to have happened is that across the broad spectrum of people doing the hiring and interviewing, technical expertise is often the overwhelming force behind employment decisions. In other words, step up to the plate with great credentials and the job is yours!  The folks being interviewed and looking for a new job or promotion have fallen into this same trap: technical prowess trumps interpersonal skills. So naturally, there’s minimal encouragement or reason to look outside the technical box – until it’s too late.

At a recent conference for board directors, a survey revealed some startling stats. There was a simple poll where participants were asked two straightforward questions:

1)  Reasons you hire: Technical or Behavioral

2)  Reasons you fire: Technical or Behavioral

The results were astonishing! One hundred percent replied they hire based on technical criteria and 90 percent acknowledged that staff behavior results in a decision to fire. A vicious circle. 

Several years ago, the Carnegie Foundation published a study that challenges the predisposition to hire based on technical bias. To paraphrase, “Your success in business is 85 percent based on your attitude and ability to relate to other people and only 15 percent based on your job knowledge and technical skills.”