Who: The A Method for Hiring book club questions

1. 1.

   Smart and Street claim the biggest mistake leaders make is a bad hire. Does that match what you've seen in your own organization or career?

2. 2.

   Have you ever sat through a job interview — as interviewer or candidate — that felt obviously poorly designed? What made it ineffective?

3. 3.

   The Who interview requires walking through every job in a career. What would that reveal about your own career that a typical interview would miss?

4. 4.

   The book argues that most interviewers rely on gut feel, and that gut feel is largely unreliable. How much do you trust your own instincts when evaluating people?

5. 5.

   A Scorecard defines outcomes, not just activities. Take a role you know well — what three outcomes would define success in the first year, and how would you measure them?

6. 6.

   The authors recommend asking candidates what their former bosses would say about them. Does this question make you more or less likely to get an honest answer, and why?

7. 7.

   What's your organization's actual sourcing process? Is it reactive or proactive, and what would it take to shift toward continuous pipeline building?

8. 8.

   Smart and Street say A-players want to work with other A-players. Have you experienced that pull — or its opposite, a culture that repels high performers?

9. 9.

   The book is very prescriptive about interview structure. When, if ever, is improvising in an interview better than following a script?

10. 10.

    Reference calls are described as gold but typically treated as a formality. What would you need to change about how your team does reference checks?

11. 11.

    The book focuses almost entirely on selection, not retention. What does it leave out about keeping A-players once you've hired them?

12. 12.

    If your team ran the full A Method for every open role, what's the biggest organizational obstacle you'd face?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.