Holly Hetherington
President
EXECUTIVE SOURCE PARTNERS
Phone: 306.359.2544
Email: hhetherington@executivesource.ca
Web: www.executivesource.ca

Jeff Aplin
President
DAVID APLIN GROUP
Phone: 403.351.2440
Email: japlin@aplin.com
Web: www.aplin.com

While this topic could be explored to a degree that far exceeds the space here, there are, nevertheless two significant pitfalls when companies put too much weight on interpersonal skills when making hiring decisions.

First, many people hide a host of mental disorders and significant personality flaws behind a mask of well-honed “people” skills.  For starters, borderlines, narcissists, psychopaths, clinical hysterics and many others can have, on the surface, apparently good interpersonal capabilities.  Given that about 10% of the at-large population has a mental disorder, straight-up math implies that one in every ten people being interviewed has the potential to be seriously mentally ill.  And, as previously mentioned, many of these folks are difficult to identify in the evaluation process – precisely because of “surface” interpersonal skills.   To further complicate the whole issue, while 10% of the population have very significant mental health problems, a much larger group suffer from a host of “garden variety” personality flaws that can also have a very negative impact on your organization.  Middle managers who cannot set limits and hold their team accountable; folks who cannot work independently when required; people who cannot make decisions; those who are determined to misrepresent and misdirect; sins of omission; excessive defensiveness; and a multitude of other issues can be perfectly hidden during most interview processes – many times because of an interviewer becoming too enamoured with a candidate’s interpersonal presentation.                   

Second, while it is clear that interpersonal skills are essential for many roles, especially at lower levels in organizations, they actually become much less of a selector for assessing your senior team’s competencies – especially as it concerns VP’s and other individuals who are being selected for  executive roles.  In fact, in most cases, it is rare for individuals who are highly socialized, outgoing, “get-along go-along” people to be effective line executives.  In most cases, selecting a candidate for an elevated role, with too much emphasis on people skills, is almost a sure-fire recipe for poor performance at C-suite levels – especially in those organizations that are experiencing change, growth and ambiguity.

 So many of these “problem children” manage to get hired into an organization because of apparently good “people” skills, but turn out to be “hell-on-earth,” for any number of reasons after they get onboard.  Clearly, in a perfect world, it is ideal to be able to hire people who have both good personalities and healthy underlying psychology.  But that opportunity is not always available to us as employers.  Being willing to carefully consider those who are somewhat socially awkward or do not possess flawless people skills may be an excellent alternative.  After all, in the end, our guess is that, given the choice, it is likely you would rather work with someone who is a bit “rough around the edges” but is also trustworthy, down-to-earth and reliable, than with someone who has “flawless” interpersonal skills who you cannot count on when it really matters.       

Getting Past The Façade

Be Aware.  One of the best things one can do to deal with this problem is to simply be aware of it.  Make a mental note to yourself that the next time you are interacting with someone in an interview, be a little more wary of a person who displays very well rounded “people skills.”  Don’t allow yourself to become too enamoured.  Stay alert and ask all of your questions. 

Excessive Defensiveness.  Defensiveness (blaming others and not taking responsibility for one’s actions) is the single biggest characteristic we recommend you watch for.  We are speaking about those people who, essentially, in their view, have no weaknesses.  Or, if they do, it’s only because “my weaknesses are due to someone else’s failures.”  When asked about required areas of development in an interview, these are the ones who will say any of the following:

 ….I work too hard

…I only get impatient because other people let me down

…My career is not advancing because recruiters do not recognize my talent

…My work standards are too high for people to handle

…I cannot think of anything that I have done wrong

…This is the way I am

You get the idea.  Most often, no matter how good someone’s “interpersonal skills” may appear to be, those people who are really “blocked” and have little or no self-awareness are doomed to fail.  At the very least, these individuals will “max out” at fairly junior levels because they do not have the ability to adapt, learn and grow.  For more senior individuals, defensiveness is a major impairment to performance.  It is quite common to discover that these types of people present fairly well in an interview – they can posture with apparently well developed in “people-interaction” skills.  Given the propensity for failure, it is highly recommended that you avoid hiring anyone who displays serious defensiveness during an interview.   

There is one more item about defensiveness that does need to be pointed out.  There are some folks who are both quite intelligent and highly defensive.  These people have developed interview capabilities that, to the unsophisticated interviewer, appear to be quite open and genuine.  When questioned about mistakes and opportunities for growth, these folks can provide you with a list of areas requiring personal improvement.  To “smoke out” these “adapters,” ensure to ask any and all people, who are apparently candid about their weaknesses, the following question:  “Where do your weaknesses hurt your performance?”  If their answer is something along the lines of  “They don’t impact my performance at all,”  you now know you are looking at a person who is just as defensive and “locked away” but perhaps, more intelligent than some.  

The loyalty factor.  Most times, people with “surface” interpersonal skills, upon query, will tell you that loyalty is one of, if not the prime factor they consider to be very important.  This is a problem.  Regardless of whether you are interviewing a sales manager who will be required to hire a sales team across the country or an individual who will report directly to yourself, loyalty is important, to some degree, but not a dominant factor in the hiring process.  What most people are really saying when they put excessive emphasis on the importance of loyalty is that they like to hire or work with people who will always be agreeable.  While being agreeable and having a “get-along go-along,” “loyal” personality is workable for low-level assignments, such “pleasant” and outgoing behavior is not conducive to high-level performance.   Those who will not respectfully speak their mind to the boss about how things could be done more effectively in the organization, or superiors who will not accept one of their direct reports constructively speaking out, is a recipe for disaster.  Certainly, some level of loyalty is important when considering a candidate for hire – but not when it is the dominant factor.  Beware of the person with good “people” skills who advises you that loyalty is a key factor in their work behavior.   

Getting along with everyone.  People who indicate that they have always got along with everyone they have worked with or for, are seriously imbalanced around their emphasis on interpersonal skills.  People of this nature might be okay for customer service work, but certainly nothing more senior or demanding.  Having disagreements, carried out in a constructive manner, is good for all.  And the folks who believe that getting along with everyone is essential to having good interpersonal skills are quite mistaken.  

IF PEOPLE SKILLS ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT, WHAT IS?

So, if “people skills” are over-rated, what, dear reader, might you ask is not?  My suggestion is to eliminate the word “people” and replace it with the word “listening.”  That’s right, listening skills.  I would have a difficult time arguing with Rachael Remen, MD, of Mill Valley, California.  “The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen to them.”  After all is said and done, you can disagree, debate, even somewhat stridently.  But there is no more of a connection one can make with a person than to listen very carefully to another.  And besides the issue of building a connection with other people, there is the rather obvious fact that, no matter who you are, no one individual has all the answers.  So listening, getting input, putting your ideas aside when others have better ones, is all absolutely necessary for a healthy organization.  In fact, in the final analysis, the ability to listen, at all levels, may be one of the only things that does separate healthy from unhealthy companies. 

Having said that, it our experience, that listening skills are in relatively short supply.  Yes, we know.  Most people we speak to are of the view that their listening skills are well developed.  But are they?   Well, depending on the study, it seems that, on a short term basis, most people remember between 25% and 50% of what they hear. And it would my view that these figures might be, actually, rather high.  It has been my observation that many people have an opinion but few know how to ask questions.  Regardless of the reasons, so many folks are simply too eager to advance their opinion.  They seem to believe that some sort of counter argument or opinion is essential to a discussion.  You have seen it before.  One person has an opinion.  Then another chimes in with their opinion.  And so on.  Few actually ask questions, paraphrase the other person etc.

If you are seriously looking to improve your skills in this area, ask more questions in order to listen better and understand better………..”So are you really saying that……”  “Why do you consider this the correct way to go?”  Just so that I understand your point, I think I am hearing you say…..”      

Here’s a hint to determine if your listening skills are “up to snuff.”   If you are not finding the task of listening both hard work and mentally exhausting, then you are not listening well enough!

While interpersonal skills are clearly helpful and hold weight, they actually are not particularly good predictors of high-level performance.  In addition to well-developed listening skills, there are many other, much more important factors that predict superior capabilities at high levels than interpersonal skills.  And we will explore what exactly these are in the next edition of the Simpson Commentary.  In the end,  perhaps we owe it all to Dr. Henry S. Sullivan, an American psychiatrist, who, in 1938, first coined the phrase “interpersonal skills” – which he created in order to describe the behavior between people in an encounter.

Marilee Adams wrote an inspiring book called Change Your Questions, Change Your Life. It’s told from a fictional standpoint and follows both the personal and professional life of a character by the name of Ben. He has recently taken a leadership position in a company and is finding it to be a difficult adjustment from his previous position. You see, Ben is used to being a technical genius, working mostly on his own, and always having the right answer for any problem posed. In fact, Ben frequently refers to himself as the Answer Guy. However, this “title” is of no practical use to him in his new position, and so we journey with Ben as he undergoes coaching in a last ditch attempt to keep his job. As Ben’s journey progresses, you see him slowly turn both his personal and professional life around for the better. So many of us are “Ben’s”; problem solvers who become increasingly irritated, irrational and angry when faced with an unusual problem that we cannot solve. The good news here is that we can change this part about ourselves, and switch our mindset so that we are asking the right questions in order to get the right answers from both ourselves and those around us.

The starting point is so simple. In order to make a change, you need to set yourself in the right frame of mind to positively change.
Adam’s book references becoming an observer in your own life, by which she means being able to step outside your thoughts and feelings to view what’s really going on in a situation. By doing this, you are able to determine whether you’re operating from a learner or judge mindset. A judger mindset lends itself to automatic reactions, a blame focus and win-lose relating whereas a learner mindset lends itself to thoughtful choices, a solution focus, and win-win relating. It’s much easier, and more common for a person to lapse into judger when they’re frustrated and angry. Unfortunately, the judger mindset leads to nowhere positive for you or your team. It is the learner mindset that will enable you to ask the right questions and get the right answers.

Once you’re in the learner mindset, you begin on the path to determining the right questions to ask both yourself as well as those around you. The questions you ask yourself subconsciously will ultimately lead to your actions and the positive/negative results you reap from those actions. The questions you ask those around you determine the type of relationship you’ll have with them, the results you’ll see from them, and whether you are able to develop new and exciting opportunities for your company. If you come at the people who work for you with negative and judging questions, such as looking to place blame for a certain mistake, then the results that you see from these individuals will be far below what they are capable of. As a leader in an organization you need to seek to understand the situation and what the possibilities are to change it.

None of what Adam teaches in her book is easy to achieve, at least initially. As quoted from her book, “change begins with the person who wants the change”. People in general are stubborn once habits are formed and prefer to remain as is, even if those habits do not produce positive results. Once you change your mindset and come to accept that sometimes as a leader you need to be asking the right questions as opposed to just providing the right answers, you will see a drastic improvement in the results achieved by you and your team.

And it is an incredibly difficult hurdle to not only find the necessary level of talent needed but, most importantly, be able to recognize it when you see it.

Having said that, there are some characteristics that can very easily be measured that stand out with the best of the best CEO’s.

To start with, let’s not worry about intelligence, drive, confidence, competitiveness, communication skills, etc.  Those go without saying and are present in most senior executives.  As well, let’s not focus on industry experience and technical knowledge issues.  In our view, boards tend to put far too much emphasis in this latter area, to their own detriment.  It would be our view that spending much more time determining who they are is much more critical than industry experience.  The main problem is that industry experience is not a very good and reliable predictor of success and true leadership
capabilities.  And yet so many boards fall back on this approach time and time again – regardless of the associated risks to the outcome. In fact, this trend is so serious that, at this very moment, one of Canada’s finest CEO’s is currently finding boards completely resistant to his candidacy because, after 17 years in one industry, he is looking for a new challenge outside his familiar haunts. And boards around this country are “taking a pass” because they are too busy focusing on related industry experience and technical knowledge and not enough on leadership.  This is a chap who has moved one of the toughest businesses in the world, in ten short years, from a $40M local company to one that is a global $1.7B business on four continents- with no acquisitions. Truly outstanding. Whoever is wise enough to understand that leadership capabilities are the prime issue for selection (who they are) and not industry and technical knowledge (what they are) is going to be in the enviable position of working with one of
the finest CEO’s in this country!

There are a few characteristics that really identify the truly exceptional leaders that, taken as a cluster, allow for exceptional performance – every time!  Let’s explore them.

Identifying Best of the Best – What to look for in the interview and background checks.

While there are many different groups and stakeholders who will want to “weigh in” on the matter of CEO selection, in the end, the final decision may well be in your hands.  Take counsel where you think it appropriate.  But, sooner or later the decision or ultimate influence on the final choice might well be yours.   To that end, here are some considerations we suggest you include in your deliberations.

Introversion

Oddly enough, one might think this is the last thing needed in a world class operating CEO. But introversion is actually a very important interpersonal component to successful CEO’s.

Before we explore this aspect of CEO make-up, we need to first review some basic but relatively unrecognized psychological facts.
People are a combination of both extroversion and introversion.  There is no question that many people are more of one than the other.  Lots of folks are quite extroverted.  And many are fairly introverted.  But curiously, there are some individuals who are both extroverted and introverted.  Nothing unusual here.  These two characteristics are mutually exclusive events.  So it is actually quite normal, but not common, for some people to be both.

And it is here we find the world-class CEO’s – working well with people but possessing a decent dose of introversion.  It makes
them independent, less needy for attention, more grounded, less egotistical and more insightful.  Clearly, a certain modest amount of introversion is critical to high levels of performance.  Ensure you check this aspect of a potential CEO’s candidacy very thoroughly.  Boards have been known to be concerned with identifying charisma and charm, glibness and “smooth edges” in their newly chosen operating CEO’s.  Even if those characteristics are important to you, ensure you also look for someone who is well balanced between extroversion and introversion.  The best of the best operating CEO’s are like this – every time – virtually without
exception.  It is one of the haracteristics that allows for resolve in the face of difficulty or the legions who have never-ending opinions but little or no actual accountability.

Negative Affect

True leaders have the ability to say “no” to both themselves and others.  They know how to hold people accountable.  They are not always popular.  They can be critical.  They confront – most often politely, but at times, not so politely.  They can point out problems.  They are, at times, “rough around the edges.”  They are impatient for achievement throughout the organization. They think critically.  They are never satisfied.  All of the above is what psychologists refer to as “negative affect.”  And they must have this negative affect without losing their optimism.  Goodness gracious!

Negative affect can be intimidating and threatening, for sure.  Mostly because most people don’t have it.  Mere mortals take comfort in the fact that everyone else is just like them – working hard to ensure no one is offended.  Make no mistake.  Diplomats are not leaders.  They build committees to spread the hard decisions around.  And as everyone knows, there have been many statues erected around the world in honour of leaders but I dare you to find one built in recognition of a committee! Paul Wilson, the CEO of Marks, who has brilliantly and profitably guided this corporation to over $1B in top line sales, is legendary for his ability to confront effectively.  People do find him intimidating but he is a true leader – and people know it – and almost never
leave his employ.  They know his confrontation skills are directed at being constructive, developmental, seeking solutions, providing focus etc.

If you require the best of the best, look for negative affect, aimed in the right direction, in the interview and background checking process.  It makes for a winner every time!

Self Insight 

No one is perfect – obviously.  We all have certain operating tendencies.  And the only way to mitigate them is for a leader to have the necessary self-insight in order to know when adapting or throwing the proverbial “change-up” pitch is required in a specific situation.  The CEO must be able to ask questions like “Do I need to push harder in this circumstance?”  “Do I need to ease off?”  “How do I need to adjust to ensure a specific audience hears me?”  “Was I being too hard on a particular individual”?  “Was I
being too easy on that same person?”  “Am I carrying ‘water’ for my team or are they doing so for me?”  Frankly, the list of questions a CEO has to ask him or herself on is endless.  And the only way to know how to adapt and maximize one’s impact is to “know thyself.”  Those CEO’s who do not have this capability rarely adjust their approach to deal with different situations and different people.  And when they do so, it is often for their own gain – not for the development and growth of the other guy.  Most CEO’s who lack self-insight are far too self-centred for the job at hand. The best are a curious blend between selfish and selfless.  But not decidedly one or the other.   And most of all, they have the capacity, because of their self -insight to, as Warren Bennis observed, “move the human heart.”

And they only get to do that by listening very carefully to all concerned.  It is a process that is exhausting.  In fact, if you are not entirely “worn out” after a marathon session interacting with others, then you are not listening well enough.  Period.  The best CEO’s will tell you this.

Ability to Recognize Ability

Highly competent CEO’s are exceptionally gifted in recognizing ability and character in others. It’s hardly newsworthy that filling the talent roster with capable people is essential – after all, who can possibly do it all?  So, top-flight CEO’s will definitely have the ability to “size up” people quickly.  They need to be “plugged in” to people – their hopes, ambitions, motivations, desires, etc.  One of the quickest ways to determine a person’s skills in this area is to enquire of them, about a ½ hour into an interview, whether the candidate considers themselves to be a good judge of people.  Almost 100% will say they are. Then ask the candidate what their “take” is of you, the interviewer.  It’s a great way to see for yourself exactly any given candidate’s capabilities in judging people.

Other Do’s and Don’t’s

Don’t fall in love and stop asking the tough and constructively direct questions.

Do put “insiders” through the same rigorous process as those applying from the outside.

Do ask former employees of CEO candidates at least as many questions as any other group.

Do ask far more of the questions about who they are and many less about their related industry experience, technical knowledge and the like.

Most people fret about what they’re going to wear to a job interview. My advice is to always err on the side of “dress to impress”. So even if the workforce tends to dress more business casual, it won’t hurt your case to show up to your interview in a business suit. First impressions stick with people for a long time, and so it’s important that the first one you make be a good one. Once you know when your interview is, make sure you have your outfit picked out and cleaned well in advance of the interview date. Don’t feel pressure either, to go out and buy a brand new outfit for the occasion. You want to wear something that’s comfortable and that you can still feel like yourself in. The last thing you want to be doing during an interview is fidgeting with a new skirt or suit jacket that is uncomfortable. Make sure you lay out your entire outfit the night before the interview, just to eliminate the stress of “I can’t find my red tie” the next morning.

It might be helpful to your stress levels if you know some of the logistics of the interview before actually entering the interview room. Take the opportunity to make a “dry run” of the trip to the interview location so you know how far it is and where you will park.  Plan to be fifteen minutes early, no more, no less. Make contact with the Receptionist, Executive Assistant or Recruiter. Any one of them should be able to tell you how many people are on the interview panel, what type of room you’ll be interviewing in, equipment available, etc. Having a basic understanding of the environment you’ll be coming in to the day of your interview can help to settle the nerves.

There are some interview questions that I can almost guarantee you will be asked. These questions include how you’ve handled an employee issue in the past, the biggest failure/success through-out your career and what your greatest weakness is. In order to not be caught off-guard by some of these questions, it’s good to have thought about them ahead of time and have an answer already in hand along with an example to support your answer. Telling an interviewer about a difficult employee issue or that maybe you’re not the most patient person in the world isn’t (typically) going to damage your chances of being offered the position. Demonstrate to the interviewer that you’re upfront, honest, and self-aware of past challenges you’ve faced in your career. Don’t try to sidestep these questions – candor will leave a more lasting impression on an interviewer than being evasive.

Do your due diligence on the company and position you’re interviewing for beforehand. During the interview is not the time to ask the interviewer basic questions about the position or company; answers to which were readily available from the job description or website. Instead, demonstrate some of the knowledge and insight you have gained from the research you did on the company. It’s a good idea to check the company website for annual reports, budgets, recent press releases, executive management team, product lines, etc. You don’t need to spend hours preparing, however a good hour or two will definitely go a long way to making a good impression on the interviewer. Also remember to have some compelling questions of your own ready to ask during the interview. Today’s interview is very much a “two-way street”, with you assessing them just as much as they are assessing you.  

Lastly, always view the interview process as a positive learning experience, even if you are ultimately not the successful candidate this round, you want to leave them with a favourable impression for other positions that may arise. Becoming a polished and confident interviewee takes experience, and the only way you get this experience is by going through the interview process multiple times. After each interview, self-evaluate.

Take great care to review the entire process and be honest with yourself.

These basic tips will give you a great starting point for preparing for that interview you want to nail. Remember that becoming a master of interviews takes time, patience, confidence and experience. Don’t become too disheartened by a bad interview – focus on what you can improve and apply that to your next interview!

-Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) 32^nd President of the United States

This blog is all about white collar crime.  Whether it is popular to acknowledge or not, Canada is considered a prime target for white collar crime “professionals.”  These pro-active crime practitioners relish “doing business” in this country because of; ease of corporate infiltration; our lax laws; minimal conviction rates and the blanket protection provided by The Canadian Charter.  As well, the cost to a corporation to prosecute someone in order to capture losses is quite high.  In fact, a colleague of ours recently spoke with a very prominent employment and litigation lawyer in Toronto.  And the news wasn’t good.  Without hesitation, he indicated that it was pointless to go after any losses under $200,000 – for cost/benefit reasons.           

The Statistics

A survey done by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) confirms that white collar crime is quite prevalent.  According to their research, in 2009, about 30%, of the more than 3600 companies they studied from around the world, had suffered from fraudulent acts – with an average loss of $2M.  Having said that, there is no doubt that Canada is clearly surpassing the global percentages  – by a significant amount.  In that same year, about 56% of Canadian corporations reported being victims of serious fraud.  And Vancouver might well be a special target.  Forbes magazine calls the Vancouver Stock Exchange, now part of the Canadian Venture Exchange, “the scam capital of the world.”

And there appear to be some startling statistics as to why Canada has such a higher white collar crime rate.  According to the crooks themselves, when compared to the United States specifically, Canada is a great place to do “business.”  Martin Chambers, a former Vancouver lawyer who was disbarred and convicted of fraud, said “Canada is 20 times safer to carry out corporate criminal activity than the U.S.”  While Canada is definitely moving towards stiffer penalties, including mandatory jail time for those convicted of white collar crimes, there is no question that Canada remains a fertile hunting ground.  And it appears the raw statistics confirm this suspicion.  Between 2003 and 2008, the U.S. arrested and prosecuted approximately 1200 white collar criminals.  In that exact same time period, Canada convicted three – that’s right, just three people!

 According to Craig Hannaford, a “white collar crime” prevention and investigation consultant, based in Toronto, “When it comes to white collar crime, it is worse than you think.”  Formerly the head of the RCMP Stock Fraud Group, Hannaford confirms that the problem is definitely growing in this country – at an alarming rate.   It is his view that this type of crime exists in almost every company – to some degree of the other. 

When we spoke to him, Mr. Hannaford explained that many white collar crimes fit into the “GONE” theory –Greed; Opportunity; Necessity; Expectation.  While it might be difficult to eliminate Greed or Necessity from the human being (many of these crimes are driven by greed or necessity because of gambling problems and the like), employers do have control over the other two words – Opportunity and Expectation.

Hannaford has spent a good portion of his career investigating and teaching numerous organizations how to ensure that the opportunistic white collar criminal is hindered or stopped completely in his or her tracks.  He notes that organizations that are smaller, more entrepreneurial, with less structure are, especially easy to victimize.  Proper controls, solid prevention methods and diligence are the key.  In addition to proper internal controls, Hannaford also recommends that you consider putting in a “tips” hotline.  As well, he advises corporations to watch for unusual activities that may seem quite harmless – like an employee who never takes a vacation.  If you would like more information, you can contact Craig at Hannaford Partners Incorporated.  Tel: (905) 399-5252.  E-mail: csh@hannafordpartners.com.

 The Professional White Collar Criminal

 While, as previously mentioned, most white collar crime is opportunistic and need-driven, there is another kind of white collar crime; that which is carried out by people one might call “professionals.” These are the folks who are not merely opportunistic.  Rather, they are proactive – a person who, from inside your organization, is actively attempting to find a way to cheat you every day.  These people are the psychopaths – people who have no conscience and wake up every day of their lives with the firm belief that their only job in life is to cheat you out of as much as they can through fraud, embezzlement and every other means they can think of.  Their view of life is that you are trying to do the same thing to them – so they are going to “get” you first.  It is that simple.  And they are incurable.  There is no treatment, no medication, no remedial action, no mentoring or anything else on the planet that will get them to stop.  Ever.  They are relentless.  And there are more of them running around than you might think.   

Psychopaths have a lack of attachment to others; they lack remorse and empathy for their fellow man and have not the slightest bit of conscience.  They are superb at blaming others, lying and rationalizing their own behaviour and never once think about the grievous harm they are inflicting on those around them.  They can be unbelievably charming and manipulative and absolutely ruthless; they are usually very glib, able to “turn a phrase,” as it were, and frequently operate completely undetected by those around them.  Further, they have no sense of right or wrong.  They never think in such terms – the only issue for them is what they can get away with.  They are cunning, untrustworthy, parasitic, shallow, extremely self-absorbed and completely remorseless. And many of these people can be viewed as leaders and “movers and shakers.” In fact, to the uninitiated, many of these people can look exactly like ambitious, take-charge leaders! No wonder so many of them actually get promoted into high-level positions!    

 Clearly, the worst part is that these human predators are complete chameleons and masters at “hiding in plain sight.”  To give you an idea of how well they are able to blend in, consider that, statistically, 1 person in every 25 is sociopathic.  That means if you have 100 people in your company, 4 of them likely fall into the category of demonstrating psychopathic behaviour.  And those 4 are seriously trying to undermine and cheat you, one way or the other – every waking moment of their lives!  Have no doubt; these people are difficult to spot.  Dr. R. Hare, of the University of British Columbia, is considered the world’s absolute expert on the psychopathic personality.  He has spent his entire career interacting with psychopaths, looking into their motives, understanding their behaviours and learning how to identify them.  And with all that expertise, even he had to admit that he was taken “in” by one on his lecture circuit.  As well, the Executive Source Partners team is specifically trained and steeped in recognizing corporate psychopathic behaviour –we frequently de-select many individuals with psychotic behaviour who attempt to get past our screening procedures.  In the course of our day, we look for these people – all the time.  And without a word of a lie, many psychopaths are so good at manipulating and conning that we have, knowingly, had psychopaths sitting right in front of us, in an interview, in our boardroom and we can almost be persuaded that the person sitting in front of us is the greatest guy in the world (the ratio of psychopaths who are men vs. women is about 7:1).  Almost!  Damn, these people can so often be exceptionally intelligent and good at what they do.        

 Detecting them in the hiring process

 Professional white collar thieves can operate for a significant length of time, completely unfettered, once they find their way inside your corporation. Obviously, the best way to deal with them is to avoid hiring them in the first place.  But as previously mentioned, they are usually very personable, charming and gracious in an interview.  So detecting them at the interview stage can be tricky, to say the least.  Having said, there are some basic ways to protect yourself and identify and de-select these types from the interview process before they wreak havoc on your organization.

 Resumes

Ensure that you verify every piece of information contained in a resume.  Remember, at least 1/3 of resumes contain lies and over 50% contain “sins of omission.”  So, do not be blinded by an impressive resume.  Dig deep.  Focus especially on academics.  Almost 20% of executives lie about their schooling achievements.  So, pay particular attention to academics.  It may mean you will need the candidate’s permission to do so.  Many universities and other institutions will not release the appropriate information and verification without written permission.  Most corporations do not go to this extent because they are too concerned that they might upset a competent candidate.  Not so.  Quality candidates do not mind in the least.  As an aside, conducting such due diligence will identify and keep out a host of other “problem children” as well.  

 Your HR group

 Do not assume that your HR group is screening out these kinds of people.  Few HR types are qualified, or even psychologically “wired” to look for the psychopath or white collar criminal.  Most are too “people” oriented and much too busy investigating the “positive” in candidates during the interview process – a forgivable sin given the focus of their position in the company.  Nevertheless, relying on your HR department to screen these people out of your organization is fraught with risk. Assume nothing when your HR team sends along a candidate.   

The Interview Itself

 The inability to accept blame or responsibility is a major hallmark of the white collar criminal – and psychopaths.  Watch for it in the interview.  Get all candidates to talk about their failures, miscues and mistakes.  And make sure you ask each candidate how these issues hurt them or the company.  The smart ones will tell you all about their mistakes.  But they almost always “give themselves away” when they refuse to acknowledge these errors had any negative impact on the company or themselves because of their actions.

Further, be especially on guard when you meet a candidate, especially a male candidate, who has flawless interpersonal skills throughout the interview process.  Someone possessing outstanding interpersonal skills does not automatically imply that a person is a psychopath.  But most men, at some point in the interview process, will have a few “rough edges.”  Not all, but many will lack some tact at some point in the interview process.      

 Expert Help

Consider getting some expert help in this area.  Clinical psychometric assessment, such as that provided by companies like Simpson Associates or Dr. Tim Clark in Vancouver, BC, is an in-expensive way to ensuring you avoid these predators.

Identifying them in your company

The truth is that your mid-level and junior employees are more likely to see the psychopath in action than senior management.  Psychopaths mistreat underlings and those they have no use for, but they manage “upwards” brilliantly.  So, there are times when the person you are least likely to listen to is the one you might want to hear out the most.  They often have information that is vital to your company.  But they don’t know where to turn to when their boss is a psychopathic thief and they are too worried about losing their job.  After all, many corporations are “command and control” driven and punish people for going “above” their boss.  But that is what these thieves count on.  To combat the problem, consider providing a way for the lower level people in your company to be able to go above their boss without repercussions.

 Recognize that these people really thrive in an environment that has a lack of structure or is experiencing a great deal of change.  Smaller companies, others that are going through re-structuring, or growing very quickly, are especially susceptible to those who would perpetrate a white collar crime.

 While the concept of white-collar crime has been around since Dr. E.H. Sutherland coined the phrase in the late 1930’s, there is no doubt that the term is here to stay.  This “industry” is continuing to rise in both scope and magnitude.  On a global scale, white collar crime is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars annually.  And given the upswing that is currently taking place, it would seem reasonable to review your safe-guards that are in place to deal with the problem.

Relevant Contact Information

Have all relevant contact information clearly listed at the top of your resume. We’ve had resumes come into our firm without an e-mail address or phone number listed on them. Make it easy on a recruiter or HR manager to contact you by carefully listing your telephone numbers as well as any e-mail addresses we can get a hold of you at. Ensure that any e-mail addresses you include are accounts that you check frequently and if you include work contact information, that you actually don’t mind being contacted at your current workplace regarding job opportunities.

Keep It Short

Keep your resume short – think 2-3 pages max. Recruiters don’t have half an hour to flip through a 10 page resume that lists every job you’ve ever had in great detail. It’s great that you want to show off your accomplishments in hopes of getting an interview, but this can be done effectively in a couple of pages. Tip #3 coaches you on how to accomplish this.

Boast & Back Accomplishments Up With Numbers

Listing your accomplishments, and being able to back these accomplishments up with quantifiable numbers jumps off the page when compared to resumes that simply list a bland job description, with vague statements. For example, “Coached and provided performance evaluations to five senior analysts” sounds much more impressive than “Responsible for employees within the department”. Make yourself stand out, and spell out your achievements for those people reading your resume. As a side note, when listing the positions you’ve held, do so in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position and working your way down. Don’t feel obligated to list positions from 20 years ago on your resume. If you’re invited in for an interview, you can discuss those positions then.

Keep Your Resume Focused On Professional Accomplishments

The format of your resume is more important than some people realize. Ideally you should have separated sections listing your work experience, education/designations, volunteer/board work, etc. Unless you’re a brand new graduate applying for your first position, work experience should always be listed first, followed by educational and board/volunteer experience. When listing your accomplishments under each position, do so in bullet point form in order to make it easy for the recruiter reading your resume to pick out the highlights. I would also caution against using a picture on your resume, depicting any religious, political, etc affiliations and listing any personal interests. Keep your resume focused on your professional accomplishments. During the interview you’ll have an opportunity to let your personality and good looks shine through!

Proofread Until It Hurts

Don’t forget to give your resume to someone objective to proofread before you send it out into the world. Nothing ruins a well-put together resume more than careless grammatical and spelling errors. If you don’t put the time into checking over your resume for errors, why would recruiters think you’ll put the time into checking over your work for errors?

If you follow the five tips listed above when creating a resume, you’ll end up with a professional and well-thought out resume that will impress the recruiter or HR manager reviewing it. Remember, your resume is the first impression you make on a recruiter and is the reason you’re given the go ahead for an interview. There’s no excuse not to make it a good first impression.

Holly has spent many years in her prior consulting life as an organizational consultant. Today, Holly is looked upon as one of Saskatchewan’s experts on labour market matters. She is Past Chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, former Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and currently co-Chairs the Saskatchewan Labour Market Task Force, advising the government on its labour market strategy. Holly was named one of Saskatchewan’s Women of Influence in 2006.

Certified as a psychometric assessment expert, Holly spends most of her time with Executive Source clients profiling existing and/or prospective leaders for their Boards and/or Senior Leadership Teams. Whether for the purpose of development, selection, promotion, transfer, teaming, or coaching, Holly’s insight helps align the people with the business strategy.

As President of Executive Source, Holly has had a hand in each of the 500+ searches that the Firm has conducted and personally has led searches for over 100 CEO’s in Saskatchewan, many of whom are still in those roles today.

Shelley has extensive senior executive experience in the public sector including operating as a CEO of a Saskatchewan Treasury Board Crown Corporation which had the mandate to build the infrastructure of the electronic health record across the province. Her subject matter expertise lies in the information technology, finance and public sector industries.

Shelley has functioned at senior strategic levels throughout her 18 years of experience. She has developed a strong knowledge of strategic information technology and information management structures and effective leadership, strategic and organizational planning skills. She has been fortunate to participate on strategic planning initiatives as well as organizational restructuring at both the provincial and national level. She has acted as both a facilitator as well as a key participant in strategic leadership initiatives and has been fortunate enough to be in positions that allowed her to think creatively in terms of the options and opportunities.

Shelley has been involved in various community volunteer roles as well as association roles including the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hockey Regina. Most recently, Shelley was the President of the Saskatchewan Association of Chartered Accountants.

Prior to joining the firm in 2008 Allison spent ten years in the public sector in public relations and policy advisory roles. Her experience in these areas, coupled with her personable nature, translate into exceptional sourcing and candidate contact. In addition to her strong research, analytical and writing skills, she brings experience in the areas of social media and online marketing.

Allison graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She is currently completing the curriculum to become a Certified Search Associate with the Association of Executives Search Consultants.

Allison is a member of Saskatchewan Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (SYPE) and serves as a volunteer Director on the Board of her local community association.