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Who: The A Method for Hiring Kindle Edition

by Geoff Smart (Author), Randy Street (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 2,601 ratings
In this instant New York Times Bestseller, Geoff Smart and Randy Street provide a simple, practical, and effective solution to what The Economist calls “the single biggest problem in business today”: unsuccessful hiring. The average hiring mistake costs a company $1.5 million or more a year and countless wasted hours. This statistic becomes even more startling when you consider that the typical hiring success rate of managers is only 50 percent.

The silver lining is that “who” problems are easily preventable. Based on more than 1,300 hours of interviews with more than 20 billionaires and 300 CEOs, Who presents Smart and Street’s A Method for Hiring. Refined through the largest research study of its kind ever undertaken, the A Method stresses fundamental elements that anyone can implement–and it has a 90 percent success rate.

Whether you’re a member of a board of directors looking for a new CEO, the owner of a small business searching for the right people to make your company grow, or a parent in need of a new babysitter, it’s all about Who. Inside you’ll learn how to

• avoid common “voodoo hiring” methods
• define the outcomes you seek
• generate a flow of A Players to your team–by implementing the #1 tactic used by successful businesspeople
• ask the right interview questions to dramatically improve your ability to quickly distinguish an A Player from a B or C candidate
• attract the person you want to hire, by emphasizing the points the candidate cares about most

In business, you are who you hire. In Who, Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer simple, easy-to-follow steps that will put the right people in place for optimal success.


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  1. Print length
    210 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ballantine Books
  4. Publication date
    August 19, 2008
  5. File size
    1.4 MB
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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. Scorecards describe the mission for the position, outcomes that must be accomplished, and competencies that fit with both the culture of the company and the role.
    Highlighted by 6,534 Kindle readers
  2. We define an A Player this way: a candidate who has at least a 90 percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates could achieve.
    Highlighted by 6,063 Kindle readers
  3. Outcomes, the second part of a scorecard, describe what a person needs to accomplish in a role. Most of the jobs for which we hire have three to eight outcomes, ranked by order of importance.
    Highlighted by 6,053 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Think of Who as the literal and figurative son of TopGrading (2005), by Brad Smart. Coaches and consultants Smart and Street have broadened the how-to-hire process from interviews to a 360-degree perspective on recruiting A players. It’s a compelling read for many reasons: the research is solid and expansive, based on actual work, CEO/top-management interviews, and statistics analyses from a top graduate business school. It’s simple: instead of 6 reasons here and 10 steps there, the authors boil down their recommendations into a 4-step process, from scorecard and source to select and sell. Who wouldn’t like to read stories from well-known CEOs like George Buckley of 3M, opening up the mysterious method of executive hiring? And finally, it’s a book laced with humor; anecdotes about interviewees who’ve told their stories all too well are not only laughable but memorable, too—for all the right reasons. Like the candidate who bugged his boss’ office because he never received any performance appraisals. Intended for executive readers—and human resources’ follow-through. --Barbara Jacobs

Review

“Seventy percent of the game is finding the right people, putting them in the right position, listening to them, and alleviating what gets in their way. Whois a practical guide to making sure you get the right people to start with! Excellent advice and guide.”–Robert Gillette, president and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace

“Geoff Smart and Randy Street have done an amazing job distilling the best advice from some of the world’s most successful business leaders.”–Wayne Huizenga, founder, Blockbuster Video

“A great read–it really is all about finding, keeping, and motivating the team.” –John Malone, chairman, Liberty Media Corporation

“The key point in this book is that those of us who run companies should include who decisions near the top of the list of strategic priorities.”–John Varley, group chief executive, Barclays

“Whois the only book you need to read if you are serious about making smart hiring and promotion decisions. It is the most actionable book on middle- and upper-management hiring that I’ve read after twenty years in HR.”–Ed Evans, executive vice president and chief personnel officer, Allied Waste Industries

“I wish I had this book thirty years ago, at the beginning of my career!”–Jay Jordan, chairman and CEO, the Jordan Company

“This book will save you and your company time and money. In business, what else is there?”–Roger Marino, co-founder, EMC Corporation

“You’ ll find yourself nodding yes, saying ‘That’s right,’ and thinking, Oh, I’ve been there, all the way through this grand slam of a book. Whether you’re starting a company or running a part of a big one, the level of success you achieve is almost always a result of choosing the right people for the right jobs at the right time. It’s all about the who!”–Aaron Kennedy, founder and chairman, Noodles & Company

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001EL6RWY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; 1st edition (August 19, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 19, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 210 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 2,601 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Geoff Smart

    Geoff Smart

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    Dr. Geoff Smart is the chairman & founder of ghSMART, a global leadership advisory, education, and analytics firm.

    Founded in 1995, ghSMART helps Fortune 500 CEOs & boards, entrepreneurs, and heads of state to achieve their goals through hiring, developing, and leading talented teams. Geoff and his colleagues donate hundreds of hours per year to advise leaders in Education, Public Health, and Government advising leaders who make the world a better place.

    CONTACT

    Geoff Smart, Ph.D.

    Chairman & Founder

    ghSMART & Company, Inc.

    www.geoffsmart.com

    See more on the author's page
  2. Randy Street

    Randy Street

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    Randy Street is Vice Chairman of ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm whose mission is to use its expertise in human behavior to help CEOs, boards, and investors build valuable companies. He has advised leaders for over 30 years and regularly helps them to build the teams they need to execute their strategies with confidence. He specializes in CEO succession, executive selection and development, management due diligence, and optimizing leadership teams to execute strategy.

    Prior to becoming Vice Chairman, Randy served for 12 years as ghSMART’s first Managing Partner. During that time, the firm grew tenfold while setting industry standards for client and team satisfaction. Forbes rated ghSMART one of America’s Best Consulting Firms from 2017-2020, and Vault ranked ghSMART the #1 Boutique Consulting firm and #1 in overall team satisfaction, client interaction, and level of challenge in 2021.

    In collaboration with Geoff Smart, the firm’s chairman and founder, Randy co-authored Who: The A Method for Hiring (Random House, 2008), which went on to become a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best seller. Soundview Executive Book Summaries gave Who the “Best 30 Business Books Award;” Shanghai Daily named it a “Top 5 Best Book in China;” Canada’s Globe and Mail named it the “#1 Best Business and Management Book of 2009;” and The Wall Street Journal named it a top seven “Best Advice” book for leaders in 2011. Randy also co-authored the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success (Random House, 2015).

    Prior to joining ghSMART, Randy was the EVP of Sales & Marketing and EVP of Corporate Development & Strategy for EzGov, a software company that was named the fastest growing company in Atlanta during his tenure. Before that, Randy was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company where he led projects and advised senior executives of Global 1000 companies in a wide range of industries, including technology, aviation, automotive, manufacturing, defense, and more.

    Randy earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. He and his wife live in Atlanta and have three daughters.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,601 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read, with one noting it's written from an experienced viewpoint. They appreciate its actionable insights and how it helps retain talented employees, with one review highlighting its usefulness for challenging-to-fill roles. The book receives positive feedback for its simplicity and time-saving benefits, and customers consider it worth millions in value. The level of detail receives mixed reactions, with some finding it incredibly detailed while others find it too specific.

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126 customers mention "Readability"126 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting it is particularly valuable for HR professionals.

"...practical tactics in finding the best people and discipline to follow when interviewing candidates...." Read more

"I enjoyed reading this book. I like the structured approach it lays out for hiring, the commentary on common pitfalls, and specificity throughout...." Read more

"...this book, Who, to the ideal business book or a book that is "easy to understand, distinct, practical, reliable, insightful, and provides great..." Read more

"...If you don't have the time to interview everyone, this tip alone is worth the book." Read more

19 customers mention "Talent retention"16 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate how the book helps retain talented employees, with one customer noting it provides valuable insights for challenging-to-fill roles.

"This book gave practical tactics in finding the best people and discipline to follow when interviewing candidates...." Read more

"...: 9/10: Forget rocket science theories on motivation and high intellectual psychology, this book cuts the waste and put you straight into action...." Read more

"...process I could imagine and it's leading to getting the right person for the role...." Read more

"...Despite this, it still provides valuable insights for challenging-to-fill roles...." Read more

14 customers mention "Ease of use"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to use and appreciate that it saves them time, with one customer noting it can be implemented right away.

"Who, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, is a surprisingly quick and informative read...." Read more

"...There are a lot of useful practical things inside that you can use right away...." Read more

"...It’s a clear book that’s easy for anyone to get through" Read more

"...It will save you time, money and it will create more meaningful relationships" Read more

11 customers mention "Actionable"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book actionable and empowering, with one mentioning it provides insights for creating more meaningful relationships.

"...high intellectual psychology, this book cuts the waste and put you straight into action...." Read more

"...is gained through putting the simple ideas together and illustrating the relationships...." Read more

"...It will save you time, money and it will create more meaningful relationships" Read more

"...The process is thorough and intense. The fortunate part is that it weeds out the majority of candidates in an economy like this!..." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth millions.

"...Buy this book! Implement it! It's going to be worth millions for you!!" Read more

"...You won't regret it, it's worth the money!" Read more

"...It will save you time, money and it will create more meaningful relationships" Read more

"Geoff shares so many high value techniques in this book. We're implementing this process and have seen considerable results...." Read more

21 customers mention "Detail"14 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's detail level, with some finding it incredibly detailed and specific, while others find it uninformative.

"...it lays out for hiring, the commentary on common pitfalls, and specificity throughout...." Read more

"...my MBA nearly 25 years ago I've lost count of how many boring, uninformative, pretentious, cliched and vacuous management books I've had to trawl..." Read more

"...to the ideal business book or a book that is "easy to understand, distinct, practical, reliable, insightful, and provides great reading experience...." Read more

"Amazing book if you are in charge of leading and hiring. Gives enough detail to start implanting immediately on your team." Read more

Bought as new, but it’s clearly been used
1 out of 5 stars
Bought as new, but it’s clearly been used
Bought book as new, folded pages, dents and tears on the book cover, pen marks on the inside, folded edges on the inside. Disappointed to have bought as new, and it’s clearly been used. Buyer be aware
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Steve Ma
    5.0 out of 5 stars practical and realistic views
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book gave practical tactics in finding the best people and discipline to follow when interviewing candidates. Highly recommend for someone who is looking to breakthrough.
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  • Raul
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outlines a structured approach to hiring
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed reading this book. I like the structured approach it lays out for hiring, the commentary on common pitfalls, and specificity throughout. I hope to leverage what I’ve learned in this book at my company.
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  • Viriya Taecharungroj
    4.0 out of 5 stars Are you the A manager?
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    "In business, you are who you hire."

    "Who: The A Method for Hiring" by Geoff Smart and Randy Street (of ghSMART) is a book on recruting or hiring. During the global economic crisis, hiring is not less significant, it is more significant than ever. As the authors addressed that the who mistakes are pricey, most organisations are still implementing the voodoo hiring methods (the book says there are ten; pretty scary and they are true). The authors wrote the method, A method, that ghSMART (the authors' company) implemented with hundreds of clients and, as they claimed, the method has worked for them.

    Contents (The A Method)

    -Scorecard: A Blueprint for Success
    It's a bit ironic that the authors always say "Who, not what" but the first step of the A method is the what. Anyway, the scorecard needs to have clear "Mission" rather than vague job descriptions we normally see. Specific and tangible "Outcomes" are also necessary together with critical "Competencies". The scorecard will be the blueprint of the recruiting process. We need a person that can get the job done, not an all-round athlete with a perfect resume but hangs around doing nothing.

    - Source: Generating a Flow of A Players
    This chapter tells us how to have more and better candidates. The best method that the book suggests is "Referrals" from friends, partners, employess, etc. The distant second and third are from recruiters and researchers.

    - Select: The Four Interviews for Spotting A Players
    Interview processes are "almost a random predictor" of job performance. That's the case with "traditional" interviews, author stated. They wrote a series of four interviews; screening interview, Topgrading interview, focused interview, and reference interview. This is the best part of the book.

    - Sell: The Top Five Ways to Seal the Deal
    The authors elaborated The Five F's of Selling; Fit, Family, Freedom, Fortune, Fun and the Five Waves of Selling or the phase that you can convince the candidate.

    ...

    Now, I'll try to compare this book, Who, to the ideal business book or a book that is "easy to understand, distinct, practical, reliable, insightful, and provides great reading experience."

    Ease of Understanding: 8/10: "Who" is easy to understand. The subject is very focused, "how to get the A player?". The subject is adequately explained and the contents are in order, Scorecard, Source, Select, and Sell.

    Distinction: 6/10: I have to admit that I do not read much on recruitment but things like scorecard is not new and we all know that referral is among the best methods of getting great candidates. Nevertheless, the critical distinction of the book is how things are put in nice and simple order.

    Practicality: 9/10: Forget rocket science theories on motivation and high intellectual psychology, this book cuts the waste and put you straight into action. It tells you how to do the scorecard, how to source, how to conduct the interview, and how to convince the candidate. A point is taken because the method will probably work best with the top-ranked hires rather than new graduates. If we are going to hire for the lower-rank candidates (that's the majority of the population by the way!), we have to simplify the method by ourselves.

    Credibility: 7/10: The author stated that the A method works and it works with hundred of clients. From the experience and quotes by clients and success stories; the method sounds credible. However, the success, as the author claimed, of the method is very sentimental; it is measured mostly by customer satisfaction, I believe. It will be great if we have the data of the new recruits that actually outperform the scorecard, but measuring that will be tough.

    Insight: 5/10: Because the book is destined to be very practical and straight to the point, you will not see highly detailed information of those topics. They are mostly "what it is, why it should be done, how it must be done, and examples or quotes" and move on to the next topic.

    Reading Experience: 6/10: It is like reading a recruiting manual (a good one). There are stories all over the book but they are in glimpses and flashes. Having more stories of clients will be more fun and engaging but I believe that's not the point of "Who".

    Overall: 6.8/10: If you are going to work alone for the rest of your career, skip the book (and you won't be reading this review anyway!). If you are hiring or going to hire someone in the future, this book is a must buy. Personally, I am sure that I will come back to this book many times in the future. I agree with the author when they wrote "you are who you hire". Since I do not want to be a B or C player, I'll be looking for only A and The A Mothod sounds right to me.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Jo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Who works, but there's a better shortcut
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book ruined hiring for me in the best way. After Who, I can't sit through a bad interview without cringing. Turns out, there's something called Screened that runs Who-style interviews with AI, and honestly, it sounded almost human. If you don't have the time to interview everyone, this tip alone is worth the book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • David
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Who" changes everything...
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I picked up this book a few months ago and quickly realized that I needed to treat it as a text book or reference book. I took lots of notes, created scripts, developed processes based on this book. The result has been the most thorough interview process I could imagine and it's leading to getting the right person for the role. We've already implemented it with the last 3 hires and keep getting better hires each time.

    If you're hiring people, this should be a required reading. Even if you implement one chapter, you will be better off on your next hire. But you'll save yourself lots of trouble if you get the book, the audio book, the ebook and take the time to fully implement every part of the process the authors lay out for you.

    Things we've specifically changed were
    -Scorecard development
    -Improved our sourcing methods
    -We stopped asking voodoo hiring questions
    -Structured the phone screening
    -Followed the Top Grading interview process exactly
    -Implemented the focus interviews by the team

    We've still got to do the reference interviews. We plan on getting to that soon.

    Our last 3 hires were 2 entry level positions and 1 manager.

    Following this process helped us to weed out people who are just good at interviewing but not great for the role. It also helped us to find people who were lying on their resume, exaggerating their work history, exposing their lack of knowledge about the role we were hiring for.

    Buy this book! Implement it!

    It's going to be worth millions for you!!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • f1shst1x
    3.0 out of 5 stars I probably would have liked this book more if the company I was working ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I probably would have liked this book more if the company I was working for hadn't tried to implement the information found here in a situation where it wasn't very applicable. The main problem is that this book is mostly geared toward hiring for executive-level positions, and a lot of the principles aren't transferable to hiring for other positions (an executive-level candidate might be OK going through 4 separate interviews, but your average Joe probably won't stay in the process that long). If you're hiring for the C-Level the this book is probably very useful; if not, you can still get some useful advise here, but don't plan on restructuring your hiring practices based on that.
    52 people found this helpful
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  • Dylan Ng
    5.0 out of 5 stars amazing book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Best 4 hours of my life in reading about recruitment. Hiring A players makes a great company great and this book gives clear methods and examples. Will get my whole leadership team to read it and also to implement it across my companies
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  • MS3
    4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Recommendations but Could Be More Concise
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    "Who" offers solid recommendations for hiring, but it could benefit from being shorter and more concise. The content feels a bit dated, especially considering the rise of hybrid and remote work. Despite this, it still provides valuable insights for challenging-to-fill roles. Overall, it's a useful read, but an update to address modern work environments would enhance its relevance.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • d'arpa
    5.0 out of 5 stars une methode de recrutement top
    Reviewed in France on February 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    une excellente methode pour recruter simple efficace pratique. pour l avoir mise en ouvre tres efficace
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  • Martin Daniel Nilsson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy-read that gives you fundamentals to recruitment
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A good read for managers and recruitment professionals early in their career. A lot of great and simply put advice and frameworks which provides the fundamentals of recruitment.
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  • Anup
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
    Reviewed in India on March 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing book higly recommended for interviers.
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  • cecilia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spunti interessanti
    Reviewed in Italy on March 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Se siete alla ricerca di una strategia su CHI assumere per la vostra azienda. Questo libro vi fornisce la giusta chiave per indirizzare le vostre scelte sulla figura migliore per l’azienda.
    Report
  • Stefan Conic, the GTM studio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tactical process for hiring A Players
    Reviewed in Germany on August 10, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    An incredible resource that teaches you how to hire A players, whatever roles you're hiring, regardless of whether you're an agency or an internal recruiter.
    Report

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