Hiring and The Mismatch Problem – Solved!

What is the mismatch problem?

Well, Malcolm Gladwell, the amazing author of "The Tipping Point," was talking about something that he calls the mismatch problem. He did a keynote speech all about the problems of the modern hiring world but he related it back to sports. 

So, he said the combines that actually picked the best sports players in football and basketball, in anything for drafts, don't actually work very well. Same thing with teacher certifications or certifications in general. 

A lot of times, they're testing on the wrong kind of stuff that makes that teacher really, really amazing at what they do, which is getting results from the students and actually having the students engaged, right? 

So, what's really interesting on the hiring side for any small business is that we can be testing and teaching for specific problems when we're in our hiring process - that really doesn't tell us anything. So, one of the key things at the very end that he said, and I want this to stick with you, is that the only way to know is to actually test it in your own business. 

In a quarterback, they need to actually play, and then you can actually measure them. In business, you hire them, potentially as a contractor or for a specific contract period if you can in different states, and then see if they work out or not. 

So don't care, I shouldn't say don't care.

Don't put all your weight on the projects beforehand, but also be really excited that you're not alone. This is hard for everyone, even people with tons of money, even when it comes to sports. They're all doing it wrong. 

So, I highly recommend, go ahead and make them a contract so that way you can actually know if they're good or if they're not. And give yourself a break on the hiring process.