We keep hiring people who seem great in interviews but end up failing in our operations and sales seats. How can we use behavioral and conative profiling to fix our hiring and seat placement?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Interview charisma is a terrible predictor of on-the-job performance. To stop paying a "dumb tax" on bad hires, you must align the behavioral and conative requirements of the seat with the natural wiring of the candidate before you look at their resume.

First, use the Predictive Index (PI) to build a behavioral target for the seat. A Sales seat, for instance, requires high extraversion, assertiveness, and speed. An Operations seat requires high detail orientation, patience, and structured discipline.

Second, test candidates using the Kolbe A Index to ensure their natural "Modus Operandi" matches the seat's execution demands. A successful Operations leader typically needs high "Follow Thru" to maintain systems and high "Fact Finder" to ensure quality control. Putting a low Follow Thru, high Quick Start person in an Operations seat is a recipe for operational chaos and severe employee stress.

Finally, run the GWC™ assessment. Ensure they Get the reality of the role, truly Want the daily metrics, and have the cognitive and emotional Capacity to deliver. Matching natural wiring to seat roles is how you build a high-performance organization.