“Who should do the hiring?” is today’s Myatt Monday question from a CEO of a technology company. I acknowledge that this particular CEO hasn’t had the best hiring history, and at the same time, he’s also not completely comfortable with handing the process over to HR. The main difference between the CEO who posed today’s question and many other CEOs it is that you acknowledge your shortcomings (recognition is the first step on the road to recovery). It never ceases to amaze me how many hiring people have absolutely no skills to do so. In today’s blog post, I’ll share my philosophy on the best way to hire top-notch talent.

All things being equal, the one with the best talent wins … The problem is that very few people have talent when it comes to identifying it. Identifying and recruiting talent is much more than selecting a resume and having a set of standard interview questions. There are cultural, personal and compensatory issues, among others, that must be addressed in the hiring process. Just because someone has been successful in the past does not mean that they will be a success for your company. Likewise, just because someone failed in a previous position doesn’t mean they won’t end up being a high-performing actor for your company. Evaluating talent is, in fact, a talent in itself. To further complicate matters, not everyone who is capable of identifying talent is capable of recruiting talent by closing the deal.

While not all CEOs should be in charge of recruiting, I also believe that if HR is solely responsible for recruiting efforts for top management and executive level positions, you will have a very weak leadership and management team. Unless your company is an organization large enough to have a Director of Talent, I don’t think HR is a hiring function (other than for administrative positions), but rather a risk management function and compliance. It’s HR’s job to make sure processes are implemented and followed, but having a mid-level manager trying to identify or recruit top-level senior talent is a recipe for disaster.

The following comment came from Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft when asked about his philosophy on hiring:

“I did all the hires myself for a long time. No one joined Microsoft without me interviewing them and they liked them. I did all the offers, decided how much to pay them, and closed the deals. I can’t do that anymore, but Still, invest one significant amount of time to make sure we’re recruiting the best people. You may have technology or a product that gives you an edge, but your people determine whether you develop the next winning product technology. “

I tend to be similar in positioning to Steve in that I believe that one of the best and highest uses of time is making sure that we attract talent to our company and our clients’ companies that provide a strong competitive advantage. I have participated directly or indirectly in the hiring of more than a thousand people in my career. I can “sniff out” talent from a mile away, and over the years, I’ve developed a solid reputation for being able to attract people who were often deemed “undesirables.” Also, I can identify professional interviewers and posers and can eliminate them from the process right from the start. I must reiterate again that most people do not have this level of experience or skill and to ensure that you make the best hiring decisions, I highly recommend that you follow the practices listed below:

1. DefinitionMake sure you know exactly what you are looking for both in terms of the job description and the profile of the person most likely to be successful in that position. If you can’t define what you’re looking for, you shouldn’t be looking.

2. Calendar: There is wisdom in the old axiom “hire slow, shoot fast”. Don’t panic and end up making a pitiful hire out of perceived desperation. Give yourself plenty of hints, as it will be far better to take your time and make a good hire rather than go with the ready-shoot-aim-and-end-up naming the new hire methodology before their probationary period is overshadowed.

3. ABH: Always be hiring … Never let your organization get behind the 8-ball of talent, as great talent is rarely available in a moment. In the world of professional sports, the talent search often begins during the high school years long before the potential talent scouts are tracking has matured. Your organization should always be looking for great talent, whether that talent is still in graduate school, in the military, working for competition, or working outside of the industry. Some of the best hires I did over the years were executives with whom I spent months and, in some cases, years developing relationships.

4. Identify your scout: Find and identify the person within your organization who has the best nose for talent. Regardless of the position this person holds, involve him or her in the process. If you don’t have a natural talent scout, look internally for outside help in the form of a consultant.

5. Team-based recruitmentAlthough I am generally not in favor of committee management, hiring based on a team approach works very well. A team consisting of your HR manager (compliance), your internal or external talent scout (the gut check), the direct supervisor on the position you are hiring (compatibility), and the senior executive who is the best at sell your organization (the closest). Hiring is a team-based fad that eliminates many of the typical mistakes that can be made in the hiring process.

6. Constant update: I’m always looking to improve the bottom 20% of my workforce. This can be done through leadership development or through new hires, but at the end of the day, not only am I looking for the next superstar, I’m also looking to weed out the underperformers.

Hiring is a blend of art and science, and the reality is that those organizations that identify, recruit, deploy, develop, and retain the best talent will be the companies that thrive in the marketplace. For those of you who would like to read more on this topic, I would recommend a previous blog post titled, “How to Win the War for Talent.”