Musings from the Ledge: Hiring for skills, not attitude
A while back, a meme popped up on my LinkedIn feed with Simon Sinek’s quote: “You don’t hire for skills. You hire for attitude; you can always teach skills.” I’d seen this before, and my reaction both times was that it sounded great, but it couldn’t work because there are many jobs that require skill.
Across the pond, many young greenkeepers start as apprentices, just like I did many years ago. The on-the-job training was accompanied by taking classes for a few weeks a year to learn the technical side, with the work experience being the basis for the practical side. We had a little black book that tracked our progress. As soon as I was competent, my boss signed me off, and I moved on to the next skill I needed.
After phase two, the amount of in-class education became more important as the practical side was completed. From there, I took a slightly different route and went to Penn State rather than attending one of the U.K. colleges — it is Happy Valley, after all!
At Pine Valley, I was fortunate that we had the resources to try new things and that Superintendent Rick Christian allowed me to try out new things. I got to do a lot of experimenting and, in doing so, learned what worked, what didn’t and how far you could push things. Of course, there were some mistakes, but we learned and just moved on with the recovery.
So, all this hands-on training had to be important, right? Not being afraid to try new things, making mistakes and knowing how far to go would make me a better superintendent. Well, yes and no.
In a recent conversation, someone asked why I had changed jobs after 19 years and why I thought I had gotten this one. Without thinking, I answered, “Because I was myself.” I joked that I had used George Costanza’s philosophy from Seinfeld: If every instinct he has is wrong, then the opposite must be right.
I used to struggle with interviewing, and it got to the point where I struggled even getting to the interview. Something had to change, so I tried something different. I didn’t focus on what I’d done in my career, but I relaxed and was just myself rather than trying to impress myself by acting how I thought I should. It turns out that was the key, at least this time … or maybe it was just that the stars eventually aligned.
Which brings me back to that meme. While I got the idea behind it, I thought there are a lot of jobs — like being a superintendent — where you need the proper skills and knowledge to be successful.
Due to the magic of social media algorithms, a few days later, another meme popped up with the same saying on a picture of a pilot sitting in the cockpit reading Flying For Dummies, reinforcing my thoughts. That was until I mentioned it to a friend, and I was surprised that he immediately said to think about it in another way.
It’s important that the person fits in with the team and contributes to a harmonious environment. It balances the team. Of course, the person should have a great attitude, but they still need to be able to learn quickly. Yes, that person might not be able to fly a plane, or in our case, water a green or drive a sprayer when hired, but there is no reason the right person can’t be taught once they are, just like my old apprenticeship.
Getting that interview for a superintendent’s job means it’s already assumed that you can grow grass, and they are just looking for confirmation. More importantly, they’re looking at how you will fit into the organization. It turns out what Simon says is right!
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