Topgrading: How to Hire, Coach, and Keep A Players
First off, I will start by saying that I did not read the book Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People by Bradford Smart. That book was written just prior to this booklet, and I assume it is Geoff’s summary of his father’s book. Several years ago I saw Geoff give a talk to an EO group and was impressed with him. I wanted to read this book when I saw it, but I was unaware that there was already a previously written full-length version. One would assume that the book provides details and methodologies that this one did not.
I will also say that I did not read the Amazon information on this book, which clearly states that it is only 62 pages long. Had I done that, I would have never plopped down $12.95 for this book. Yes, that’s a cheap price for a good book, but this is not a good book. This edition is a 62 page marketing brochure for their workshop, with 20 of those pages being full-length quotes from the likes of Tom Peters, Jack Welch, and Guy Kawasaki. Really Smart guys have written this book, but it’s more of a compilation of great quotes.
Hiring A Players
So, the bad news is that I feel like I was duped into buying this book. The good news is that the concepts the Smarts suggest do have merit. Those include hiring only “A players” (ok everybody talks about that), but starting from the top. The CEO must insist on having A players for his or her top team. For entrepreneurial companies, this means that some of the early hires may not make the cut. The founders may have to make difficult decisions early in the Topgrading process about those who have grown with the company to become Directors or Vice-Presidents.
Creating Scorecards
I also like their concept of creating scorecards for each position. You can use scorecards as barometers of what to look for when hiring. They correctly state that most of us use fairly innocuous job descriptions when hiring. Using scorecards provides specific descriptions and metrics that will allow clarity both for the company and the recruits. They claim that “A players” will appreciate this, and it is an excellent tool to weed out the “B and C players,” who will be intimidated by the scorecard concept.
Interview Stories
Another key takeaway from this Topgrading cliff notes booklet is the use of the interview process to obtain stories from the recruit’s previous experiences. These stories are an excellent way to deduce the names of people you will want to call when doing your reference checks. A potential employee’s stories can relate both positive experiences and struggles. The players involved in these stories would be a great source of information about your candidate. Years ago I witnessed Geoff Smart’s keynote speech, in which this concept was the central nugget of wisdom. I still use this brilliant strategy today.
This is the shortest book review I’ve ever written, because this was the shortest book I’ve read as an adult . There is not much more to say about this book. I do believe the Smarts are terrific, and they have solid background concepts for hiring and keeping A players. In this version, they did not provide the depth of information to make this book useful. I will, however, read the more extended version noted above and provide a more in-depth review shortly.
