How to Select Job Candidates with Integrity (Pay Attention to Clues)

In the film Meet the Parents, Robert DeNiro's character is a parent/ex-CIA agent who is known as a "human lie detector." Although he had a real polygraph machine in his basement, he didn't need it. He could just tell when people were lying by talking to them. He would have made a great interviewer.

It seems to be getting harder to find job candidates who have strong integrity. Candidates who are "integrity-challenged" don't necessarily have criminal records, shifty eyes or sweaty palms. They may be normal-looking (even highly skilled) employees who hide mistakes or blame others, take credit for other people's work, violate copyrights intentionally or sabotage others when upset.

In our company's Selection in Action training, managers often ask us, "What can we do as hiring managers to select for integrity and weed out those who lack it?" The easy answer is...there is no easy answer.

The best we can do is set up an effective selection system that has validated, built-in assessments for integrity, including psychological testing, behavioral interviewing and simulations.

However, even the best selection system can suffer from human error. Think about it. Well-built cars don't have accidents. Drivers have accidents. The same goes for selection systems. Well-built selection systems rarely make mistakes. Hiring managers who use selection systems have accidents. The biggest "accident" a hiring manager can make in the selection process is ignoring the objective data that a strong selection process provides.

If your selection system is set up properly, candidates who lack integrity will give clues throughout the selection process. They won't come out and tell you that they lack integrity - they probably won't admit to lying, cheating or sabotaging others. Here are some examples of what you might see and hear during a selection process, that are clues to a candidate's questionable integrity:

- Denying that they've made mistakes in the past or that they've had failures. When candidates consistently make comments such as, "I haven't ever had a big failure or disappointment," or "I haven't had a conflict at work. I always get along with everybody," you know they're not telling the truth. If you hire them, don't expect them to own up to mistakes in the workplace.

- Showing up late for phone calls and interviews, rescheduling appointments, not following up as promised...and making excuses. No matter how much you love these candidates or how "perfect" they are for the job, don't ignore how they behave during the selection process. This is your best clue as to how they'll actually behave when you hire them.

- Telling stories about how they achieved a positive result, but cut corners or "fudged the truth" to get the result. As hiring managers, it's easy to be blinded by candidates' stories of making customers happy, saving the company money or making a sale. Don't ignore how they got those results. For example, a sales candidate who closed a million dollar contract at her last job may make a sales hiring manager salivate. But don't forget to ask how the candidate got that million dollar sale. Did she have to overpromise deliverables to get the sale? Did the sale actually cost the company money because the margins weren't high enough? Did she exaggerate her company's capabilities, or sweeten the deal with unauthorized "freebies", to close the sale? Dig deep and pay attention to the whole story.

Of course, none of this is a guarantee that you'll hire the perfect candidate with impeccable integrity. Like motivations or personal values, integrity isn't something you can see easily. But you can become more like DeNiro's "human lie detector" by engaging your integrity radar and paying attention to the clues candidates drop during the selection process. Chances are, candidates who are lacking integrity will subtly reveal themselves if you pay attention to the signs.

And remember, most people are good. Assume that people have integrity until they show you otherwise. Try to be smart and objective when hiring...without being cynical or prejudging.

©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com

Toughen Up with Hard to Hear Feedback

In The Loyalty Group's June e-newsletter on Coaching, I promised my own personal story about how a coach impacted me. Here goes...

Several years ago my company was at a turning point and I had some tough decisions to make about our direction, and the role I would play as our company's leader. It was the perfect time to work with a coach.

We started with the usual stuff - goal setting, crafting my personal mission, my company's business plan, etc. We reviewed The Loyalty Group's values, which included Integrity. I stressed to my coach that this value was very personal to me - as well as critical to our business philosophy. I talked at length about what integrity looked like, why I valued it - and how I'd always prided myself on it.

In a later meeting, I shared with my coach a problem I was having with a long-term business associate. We were struggling to come to terms on a contract, and I thought that my associate was being petty. I was resentful that he was asking for what I perceived as unfair terms. I was considering pulling out of the relationship all together. I remember telling my coach, "This is causing me more time and stress than it's worth. It's easier to just walk away."

My coach asked if I'd shared my feelings with the associate.

"Not really," I said. "We've had lots of discussions about the business terms, but I haven't actually said how I feel, or that I'm ready to walk away. I don't think it'll do any good."

My coach called me out. He said, "So you don't truly value Integrity?"

I was taken aback. I asked what he meant.

He explained, "You say that you pride yourself on your high Integrity. Yet you're not being honest with your associate. You're stewing, stressing, complaining behind his back, talking to me about the problem, thinking that he's being petty...yet you haven't told him how you feel. Now you're thinking of ending this long-term relationship without giving him the benefit of knowing what's going on. How is that acting with Integrity?"

Now I don't recommend this type of tough-love coaching approach for everyone. My coach knew that, given my strong personality, it was what I needed. And he was right. His words were like icewater being thrown in my face. I had to rethink everything. Was it possible that I saw myself as someone who was candid and possessed high integrity - but was actually something different in practice?

This was an especially appalling thought for me, being a consultant. How many clients and organizations had I coached about "Walking the Talk?" But here I was, being called on the very same issue. I felt like a hypocrite.

Why am I sharing this story? Take what you want from it, but there are a few key lessons I learned:

- Great coaches are like great parents, in that they don't have to be your friends. If you want someone to always make you feel good, support you even when you're wrong and have laughs with...call a friend. If you want to hear the truth and be asked the tough questions that your friends won't ask...go get a good coach.

- When someone gives you feedback that hurts, there's probably some truth to it...even if the words themselves are harsh. My husband is an actor so I read some of the acting trade magazines. The world's most accomplished actors consistently say, "When I read a script and I'm afraid of taking the part, I know I have to do it. If it's going to be a tough role for me, it's probably the right one." Remember, from discomfort comes growth. When you get tough coaching feedback, take a deep breath, count to 10, resist the urge to defend yourself, and ask yourself, "What's behind this feedback?" Assume there is at least some grain of truth to it. Work with your coach to find it and do something about it.

In case you're wondering, I do believe that I've changed from the experience. After this coaching discussion, I had a very direct conversation with my associate. I won't lie. It was painful. But when it was done, we came out the other side in a very good place. We're closer than ever and have a new level of candor in our relationship. I always remember this when I'm confronted with a difficult interpersonal situation and I'm tempted to walk away. Face it. It'll be painful in the short-term, but easier in the long-term.

I'd like to hear your personal story about a tough coaching discussion. What's the most difficult feedback or coaching you've received - and how did it change you for the better?

©2006 The Loyalty Group. All Rights Reserved. www.TheLoyaltyGroup.com