We are scaling our operations quickly and need to hire multiple middle managers, but our current leadership team is split on what behavioral traits we actually need. How do we use cognitive and behavioral job targets to align our hiring strategy with our Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To scale your operations without creating internal friction, you must stop hiring based on resume credentials alone and start matching candidates to the conative and behavioral requirements of the seat. This begins by defining the objective job targets before you interview a single person.

First, look at the seat on the Accountability Chart. Clarify the five major roles and responsibilities. Once the roles are clear, use a cognitive and behavioral assessment tool, such as the Predictive Index, to map out the ideal behavioral profile required to execute those roles successfully. For example, a seat that requires rapid, high-pressure problem-solving needs a high Quick Start profile, whereas a quality control seat demands a high Follow Thru score.

Have your leadership team agree on these behavioral and cognitive job targets beforehand. This eliminates personal bias and subjective debates during the hiring process. Once you have defined the target profile, administer psychometric assessments to candidates to evaluate their natural drives and cognitive abilities.

By combining this conative screening with the GWC™ framework, you ensure that every new manager has the intellectual capacity and the natural, intrinsic knack required for the seat. This systematic approach dramatically reduces bad hires and builds a highly aligned, high-performance team.