Hiring the wrong person is one of the most expensive mistakes a business can make. Yet most companies still rely on gut feelings, vague interviews, and surface-level resumes when building their teams. In Who: The A Method for Hiring, Geoff Smart and Randy Street deliver a proven, practical hiring framework that replaces guesswork with precision—helping leaders consistently choose top performers, or what they call “A Players.”

Backed by decades of research and thousands of executive interviews, this book dismantles the common myths around hiring and reveals why so many smart managers still get it wrong. Instead of asking, “What do we need this person to do?” the authors flip the question to focus on “Who can actually get it done?” The result is a data-driven, replicable process that cuts through bias and dramatically improves hiring outcomes.

Whether you’re a startup founder making your first hires or a CEO building a high-performance culture, Who offers the missing piece of your leadership strategy: a blueprint for hiring the right people, every time.

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🔟 Top 10 Key Lessons from Who: The A Method for Hiring

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1. Hiring Mistakes Are Costly—and Common

Bad hires don’t just hurt performance—they waste time, drain morale, and cost companies millions. The first step toward better hiring is admitting that your current process probably isn’t working.

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2. Define the Outcomes, Not Just the Job Title

Instead of vague job descriptions, create a “Scorecard” that outlines clear outcomes, measurable goals, and cultural fit. Focus on what success looks like—not just a list of responsibilities.

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3. A Players Drive Results

“A Players” are those who consistently deliver superior results. They’re proactive, accountable, and aligned with your values. Your goal is to hire fewer people—but better ones.

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4. Use the A Method: Scorecard, Source, Select, Sell

The authors’ four-part process gives hiring structure and rigor:

• Scorecard: Define success
• Source: Find the best candidates
• Select: Interview with purpose
• Sell: Close the deal with top talent

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5. The “Who” Matters More Than the “What”

Even the best strategies fail with the wrong people. Prioritize hiring before planning—because execution depends entirely on who’s on your team.

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6. Structured Interviews Beat Gut Instinct

Random, informal interviews lead to biased decisions. The A Method emphasizes structured interviews with specific questions that reveal patterns in behavior and performance.

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7. Ask the Right Interview Questions

Key questions include: “What were you hired to do?”, “What accomplishments are you most proud of?”, and “What would your former boss say about you?” These reveal truth—not fluff.

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8. Reference Checks Are Non-Negotiable

Don’t skip this step. Reference calls validate a candidate’s claims and give insight into their past behavior. The best predictor of future performance is past performance.

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9. Top Talent Must Be Sold

A Players have options. You need to “sell” the opportunity by aligning the role with their values, aspirations, and long-term goals—not just offering a salary.

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10. Hiring Well Is the CEO’s Job

Delegating hiring to HR alone is a mistake. Leaders must be directly involved in selecting team members—because nothing matters more to success than getting the who right.

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📌 Final Insight:
Who isn’t just a hiring book—it’s a leadership operating manual. When you shift your focus from resumes to results, from intuition to process, you unlock a competitive edge that compounds over time: the power of the right people in the right roles.