How to Hire A-Players: Finding the Top People for ... - GIT home page

Right under Your Nose: Leveraging People You Already Know 63
business—friends and family may be the only people you can persuade
to join you! I work with a number of companies in which
multiple family members play important roles. Entire books have
been written on running family businesses, but there is one key
principle relative to recruiting and hiring: don’t hire people because
they are friends or family members, but don’t overlook people for
that same reason.
When John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United
States, his father, Joe Kennedy Sr., insisted that Bobby Kennedy, the
president’s younger brother, be named attorney general. John Kennedy
resisted the idea because he did not want to be accused of nepotism,
but his father’s desires prevailed, and Bobby was appointed
to the position. Early on during the Kennedy presidency, the Bay of
Pigs debacle occurred. The administration had encouraged a group
of Central Intelligence Agency–backed Cuban fighters to invade
Fidel Castro’s Cuba and then left them to perish when the surprise
attack failed. Though Kennedy was severely criticized by politicians
and citizens alike, his brother was his staunchest ally during that
difficult period. John Kennedy reflected afterward, ‘‘Now I see that
Dad was right. Bobby is the only one that I can trust.’’ 1 In the same
way, a close friend or family member could become your most
trusted A-player.
A-players come from all sorts of different sources. If you know a
terrific person from your own clan or with whom you have been
friends since kindergarten, don’t reject out of hand the possibility
of hiring him or her. Instead, treat that working relationship the
same way you would any other: Define roles and responsibilities
before you make any hiring decisions. Agree on the financial compensation
and absolutely put it in writing. State, up front, how you
will exit this working relationship if things don’t work out. Handled
right, strong people with personal ties to you can be the foundation
of a fantastic team.
In addition, don’t forget your A-player mind-set when it comes to
your family and friends. Educate them about the person you want
to hire. One of these close contacts may well refer your next Aplayer
employee.