Skip to content
  • Home
  • Case Studies
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Book a Call
Menu
  • Home
  • Case Studies
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Book a Call

How To Spot An A-Player

Think about your best-performing employee. For this example, we’re going to call her Lola.

Lola is an expert at what she does. She understands your business objectives and prioritizes the tasks that help achieve these.

You never have to worry about hand-holding her or wonder whether things are getting done as they should. The results of her work speak for themselves.

Not to mention what a great team player she is. She’s an excellent example for the rest of the team to follow, too.

Simply put, Lola is an A-player. And just the thought of running your business without her makes you uneasy.

Sure, your business could continue without her. But would you want it to? Probably not.

Now imagine that instead of having only one Lola, you had a team full of A-players just like her.

How would that improve your profitability? What would it mean for your peace of mind? And how would that boost your customers’ satisfaction?

We’re betting that it’d do wonders for you, your business, and the people you serve.

But too many business owners and hiring managers hope to find someone like Lola instead of intentionally looking for someone with the same A-player characteristics.

Sure, this can seem easier said than done. And many times, it can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. But once you know what makes A-players, they’re much easier to find and hire.

Here are a few signs that someone is (or isn’t) an A-player

Reference these when screening potential hires and even when assessing your current team members’ performance.

1. They’re outcome-driven.

A-players aren’t interested in checking things off their to-do lists. They care about achieving measurable results that tie in with your business goals.

KPIs, metrics, OKRs, etc., are their love language because they know that what gets measured gets done. Be sure to know what specific outcomes are important to you and find someone who matches your vision of success.

For example, let’s say you’re hiring a new sales agent. An average candidate might say, “I performed great at my previous job, and I met all my sales targets.”

But an A-player would say something like, “I generated $500k in sales, grew our client-base by 10%, and helped double the business in three years”.

BOOM. Now that’s the kind of talk you want to hear.

2. They have narrow but deep expertise.

Jack-of-all-trades might be what you need in some rare cases. But most of the time, you’re hiring someone to fit a specific need and accomplish a particular outcome in your company.

So hire the person with the particular expertise you need, not the person who can dabble in a bit of everything.

Think of it in sports terms. You wouldn’t make a quarterback play defensive linemen. Or hire a waterboy to coach the national basketball team.

Each has their expertise and belongs in their respective roles.

Don’t be charmed by the all-arounder.

Ask candidates the questions most relevant to your needs. Give them relevant examples to understand how they’d perform in real-life situations. That’ll help you find the expert or specialist you need.

3. They don’t like being micromanaged.

Frankly, the only people that need micromanaging and hand-holding are the less than competent employees who lack the willingness or ability to get the job done. They are, by definition, the complete opposite of A-players.

A-players have the expertise, attitude, and confidence to deliver results. But they need you to trust in their ability to do so.

It’s not to say that they’ll never need your help or guidance. But A-players need space and freedom to do their best work and develop new skills. They want to be able to make their own decisions because that’s why you hired them after all.

So test the waters to see how much hand-holding a candidate expects or needs. That’ll help you understand whether or not their A-player material.

4. They’re productive.

A-players know the difference between busy work and actual productivity.

They’re interested in maximum efficiency, and they try to get more done with less. But that doesn’t mean they cut corners.

Instead, to use a popular cliche, they aim to work smarter, not harder. They’re interested in optimizing processes and leveraging the right tools for the job.

And they know where their focus should lie and how to execute things effectively because they prioritize according to your business objectives.

Explore candidates’ definition of productivity and get closer to finding your A-players.

5. They seem like a good fit for your company culture.

A-players are not divas. They understand the importance of working in harmony towards common goals.

They’re not “that’s not my job” people. They’re “let’s get this done” people.

They treat everyone on the team with respect, avoid gossip, and act transparently. They uphold your company values and encourage everyone else to do the same.

Of course, no one is perfect. So don’t expect any A-player to be without fault.

But as long as their imperfections don’t impact their ability to deliver results or impede anyone else from doing the same, don’t hold it against them.

So be sure to define what your company culture actually is and have a clear picture of the type of person that can do well in it.

You don’t want to hire a highly qualified professional to find out that they don’t uphold your team values.

Now that you know some of the key traits of an A-player, you’re ready to build a world-class team.

Just think back to your “Lola” and how much value she brings to your organization. Lola meets our A-player criteria and then some. She’s:

  • Outcome driven
  • A specialist, not a generalist
  • Allergic to micromanagement
  • Productive
  • An excellent fit for your company culture

But this isn’t an exhaustive list of what makes an A-player. Because in addition to the obvious things, like having a positive attitude and a proven track record of success, A-players vary from role to role and company to company.

And while no two A-players are the same, they will share similar traits, especially those that matter most to your business.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go out there and build your dream team. And if you need any help building your team, schedule a free 30-minute strategy call with us today to see how we can help.

  • ugis ugis
  • July 1, 2021
  • 2:21 am
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn

Recent Posts:

Loading...

3 Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead) – Part 1

  • 3 Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead) – Part 1
  • July 1, 2021
Picture this: You’ve worked hard to create your new product, and now it’s time to...

3 More Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead)

  • 3 More Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead)
  • July 1, 2021
Not impressed by the quality of job applications you receive? Hate to break it to...

You’re filtering job applicants the wrong way. Try this instead.

  • You’re filtering job applicants the wrong way. Try this instead.
  • July 1, 2021
Has the overwhelm of having hundreds of incoming job applications to review hit you like...

Why you shouldn’t skip reference checks

  • Why you shouldn’t skip reference checks
  • July 1, 2021
Imagine that you’re dating someone for a few weeks. Everything is going well until you...
Loading...

Why you shouldn’t skip reference checks

  • Recruiter Mill
  • on July 1, 2021

You’re filtering job applicants the wrong way. Try this instead.

  • Recruiter Mill
  • on July 1, 2021

3 More Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead)

  • Recruiter Mill
  • on July 1, 2021

3 Reasons Your Job Ad Doesn’t Work (& What To Do Instead) – Part 1

  • Recruiter Mill
  • on July 1, 2021

End of content

No more pages to load

ugis@recruitermill.com | Copyright ©2022 Recruiter Mill. All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Get cutting-edge hiring tips and case studies, straight to your inbox.