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In the Biggs Interview* in this week’s edition of LeadershipWired, a few keys to making successful hires were outlined that I’d like to summarize here:

1. Does the candidate have a good value system?
2. Is the candidate a lifelong learner?
3. Does the candidate have good work habits?
4. Does the candidate have a positive attitude?

While these seem intuitive, in an interview it can be a challenge to discern the answers to these questions. However I think they are an excellent start to evaluating a potential hire.

Another metric I’ve seen advocated that addresses many of the same issues is the Three C’s approach: Character, Competence, and Chemistry. Character speaks to a good value system, and good work habits. Competence can only be maintained if the candidate is willing to learn over a lifetime and with good work habits. Chemistry will erode without a positive attitude.

I think there is value in both metrics, and these four questions give some good practical direction to evaluating the Three C’s of a candidate.

*Used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s free e-newsletter ‘Leadership Wired’ available at www.maximumimpact.com

Richard Biggs, author of Burn Brightly without Burning Out outlines five key steps to making wise decisions I consider worth passing on. For the record, this is adapted from an interview provided by LeadershipWired*.

1. Give careful consideration to all the facts and options.
2. Pay attention to your heart, intuition and gut feeling.
3. Once you make a decision, don’t second guess yourself.
4. Act with the knowledge that you’ll probably make more good choices than bad ones in a lifetime.
5. Anticipate success, but don’t be afraid to fail.

Each of these was a great reminder for me. I’d add that I believe there is a spiritual component to step 2 — that is “Seek God’s Direction.” While I believe God doesn’t always give specific direction in every circumstance, when He does I want to be in line with the direction He’s heading.

One other think Biggs said in the interview I find worth repeating was “Don’t let the past completely paralyze you.” It’s all to easy to think that since we failed at something long ago we’ll never succeed at it. I’m not sure why this is, but I know it does seem to show up in my life from time to time.

*Used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s free e-newsletter ‘Leadership Wired’ available at www.maximumimpact.com

I came across these three links in Fast Company of Blogs worth reading:

1. Found in the Footnotes
2. Marketing at Microsoft
3. Decent Marketing

I haven’t looked at them yet, but I didn’t want to lose track of them before I had a chance to check them out. If you happen to see them before I do, let me know what you think!

The smart ones ask when they don’t know. And sometimes, when they do.
— Malcolm Forbes

In my leadership reading this week, I was confronted with the following question:

Are you gaining or losing momentum?

In reflecting on the question, I realized that in most of the leadership roles I fill, I’ve seen a general stall in momentum. Things aren’t failing, but they aren’t growing quite as quickly as I’d like either. I imagine the great amount of change that has been occurring in my personal life has had an effect - I’ve not been able to poor the same energy into each role as before - but I wonder if there are greater causes.

Whether my lack of energy is the cause, or if there is something larger at play, I know I need to begin working to build momentum again or risk losing the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve. As John Maxwell says, “Momentum does not sustain itself.” I think I’ve been expecting things to sustain on cruise control… when in reality it takes work and effort to keep moving forward.

What can I do to keep us moving forward? I’ll start with refreshing the vision — laying out an attractive picture of where we want to go. Then I’ll present our plan for moving toward that vision, and invite input to help us overcome obstacles we may encounter. Finally, we’ll start implementing the plan and expect great results. If all goes well, we’ll be back to building positive momentum in no time.