John W. Gardner Quotes

If you have a choice between qualifications and personal qualities when it comes to hiring people, go with personal qualities. You can teach them the job.

Actually, there is no more important task for a leader than to pick people. To make sure you have the very best people working for you.

What characteristics do I look for when hiring somebody? That's one of the questions I ask when interviewing. I want to know what kind of people they would hire.

The legwork is always hard. Really finding people that you think are good enough. Just the definition of what we have to do is finding good enough people that you really think are special.

We're really critical with the process of who we hire. But when you put great people in position, that's how you avoid any missteps.

I always have an idea before we even start the movie because if you hire the wrong person, within a couple of days you're going to know that and you're going to be really panicked.

I try to hire people who will challenge and have the humility to be challenged - people who have basically good values.

If you don't hire at least one or two people that are smarter than you are, then you're a terrible manager and I don't need you.

Usually, you hire people that you think are wonderful.

Microsoft has long hired based on IQ and "intellectual bandwidth."

Get the right people. Then no matter what all else you might do wrong after that, the people will save you. That's what management is all about.

The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.

As a business owner or manager, you know that hiring the wrong person is the most costly mistake you can make.

I think I have a good eye for talent. I think I'm smart enough to figure out what the mission is and achieve it. I achieve it by hiring good people.

The key thing that I find that when you're kind of in boom times and you're hiring bunches, if you can hire, you know, always maintain very high standards and even if you, you know, can't find enough of, you know, what is typically called A players, then don't hire the people. All right? So, you know, use that as a way of standards.

Choose the right employees and then set them loose.

If you compromise in the first five, ten hires it might kill the company.

I don't hire anybody not brighter than I am. If they're not brighter than I am, I don't need them.

We need to make sure we have the best people we can in our operations, and that is a constant challenge. There is always room to improve.

AirBnB spent 5 months interviewing their first employee, before they hired someone and in their first year, they only hired 2 people.

HR should be every company's killer app. What could possibly be more important than who gets hired?

Know what it is the emotional statement to convey, and use taste and judgement to help the actors give their best possible performance.

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself.

Trust is clearly a key competency. A competency or skill that can be learned, taught, and improved and one that talent can be screened for.

I hire people that are good, and aren't crazy. Or assholes. Because that takes up too much time. There are just as many good people who are not crazy.