Rating: 
Summary: Billy Strayhorn was right: "Take the A Train"
Review: Smart formulated what he calls the Chronological In-Depth Structured (CIDS) interview approach. After studying 4,000 managers in relation to (on average) ten different jobs per manager, he arrived at a number of conclusions. They serve as the core material of this book in which he explains how both companies and individuals can gain and then hold a competitive advantage which Peter Drucker identifies as follows: "The ability to make good decisions regarding people represents one of the last reliable sources of competitive advantage, since very few organizations are very good at it." As Smart carefully explains, topgrading is the practice of packing any team with A players and clearing out the C players. "A player [italics] is defined as the top 10 percent of talent available at all salary levels -- best of class. With this radical definition, you are not a topgrader until your team consists of all A players [last three words in italics]. Period." Those who read this book and then apply the principles, strategies, and tactics which Smart recommends will be well-prepared to (a) hire only A players or those almost certain to become one and (b) those who are or wish to become A players and need expert guidance to achieve that objective.For me, the most stunning revelations in the book are found on page 50, in Figure 3.2, "Cost of Miss-Hire Study Results." According to the results of Smart's research study of more than 50 corporations, the sum of costs of a mis-hire (on average) are as follows: Base salary Less than $100,000: 14 times salary Base Salary $100,000-250,000: 28 times salary All Salaries: 24 times salary Now go back and re-read those statistics while keeping in mind that, for various reasons which Smart briefly explains, "the numbers are probably conservative." Organizing his material within two Parts (one for companies, another for individuals), Smart offers a cohesive and comprehensive narrative within which he includes all manner of graphic illustrations as well as a number of exercises and questionnaires which enable both those who hire and those who are candidates to understand what topgrading is, what the CIDS interview approach is and how to derive the greatest benefits from it. Most important of all), Smart explains how to achieve what Jim Collins describes so well in his most recently published book: the good to companies "...first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats -- and then they figured out where to drive it. The old adage 'People are the most important asset' turned out to be wrong. People are not [italics] your most important asset. The right [italics] people are." Presumably Smart would agree that the right people share the same values and, together, sustain their organization's commitment to those values. If involved in their organization's recruiting and interviewing process, as they should be, they will help to ensure that the right people will be hired (i.e. allowed on the "bus"). Obviously it is important to get talent and task in proper alignment. It is equally important to keep an organization's values in proper alignment with its objective(s). Although Collins does not use the term, the good to great companies he discusses are all topgraders. The reader will especially appreciate having the information provided by Smart in (count 'em) seven appendices: CIDS Interview Guide, Career History Form, In-Depth Reference-Check Guide, Interview Feedback Form, Sample Competencies -- Management, and Sample Competencies -- Wm. M. Mercer. Here in a single volume is about all anyone needs to know and have inorder to understand what topgrading is, how it works, and why it will probably be essential to those who hire as well as to those whom they consider. Lest there be any misunderstanding by anyone reading this review, I want to point out that any organization (regardless of size or nature) can be a topgrader and that is even more important to smaller organizations with limited resources. Why? Because the cost of a miss-hire could be catastrophic, not only in terms of total compensation but also in terms of mistakes, failures, alienated customers, lost business, wasted opportunities, and disruption of the workplace. Some may respond, "I cannot afford to hire all A players even if I could find them!" On Smart's behalf, I presume to reply that no organization can afford NOT to hire only A players or those who, with proper development and supervision, can become A players.
Rating:
Summary: Finally - A consistent people-care paradigm!
Review: Sure, the style leaves something to be desired. The author assumes a well-educated reader, with some experience as a supervisor at a pretty high level. But this book is JAM-PACKED with valuable information based on experience, not conjecture. It answers probably 75% of the nagging questions I've had over the years in dealing with employees (hiring, coaching, performance management/evaluation, and yes, firing). And it does so comprehensively and cohesively. What I like best is that Dr Smart's methodology is fully integrated: the (comprehensive) information collected before hiring is the SAME info used to coach an employee to greatness. The SAME measures are used to evaluate growth, and the SAME measures are used to determine if it is time for an employee (or myself!) to move on. I only wish the content was available 20 years ago... and that the Appendices (interview forms, evaluation forms, etc) were available online or came on a CD with the book. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Do not waste your money.
Review: The ability to make good decisions regarding people represents one of the last reliable sources of competitive advantage. This book does not give you any useful and/or practical information. The author of this book is arrogant and needs to take some English writing lessons. Do not waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Before you make your next hire, read this book.
Review: This book is a presentation of how to perform a truly in-depth interview for management candidates. The interviewing process will allow you and your company to select 'A' players for key positions. You will be able to use the materials shown here as an outstanding tool, giving you insight into the candidates experience, performance history, and growth allowing you to determine what they are capable of today and in the future. This will, in short, let you go from hoping your next hire works out to being confident your next hire will be a star. Of course there is no tool that does not require effort and this is no exception. You will need to spend the time to develop the description and needs of the position. Moreover, you will have to personally dedicate the time to get to know the candidate. It won't take you months or weeks, but it will require you to spend many hours; interviewing, reviewing, analyzing. Is it really worth your time to go into such depth when hiring? Not just hours, but days? The real question is whether you can afford not to. *Note: I am about to start preaching* I am a big believer that the biggest keys to success in business centers around the strategy, the systems, and the staffing. A good system (processes) can lead average people to better than average results, but getting the system to accomplish that much--where it is easier to do a task right than it is to do it wrong--is very difficult. A truly good staff though can accomplish goals despite a poor or average system though. A good senior staff can make a strategy better and make the system into what it should be in the first place. Without the right staff, those individuals who can lead and learn and grow and mold, the company will not reach its potential. And I mean bottom-line potential, sales potential, growth of staff and customers and suppliers and etc, etc, etc. A good senior staff can bring the rest of the company up to its level. Anything less than a good senior staff is a travesty, a travesty the CEO, board, or shareholders should get rid of. I mean can them today. *Sermon over* This first half of the book may be the strongest part of the book for just this reason. Dr. Smart and I agree that people make a difference and he is convincing when stating you /must/ spend the time to choose the right candidate or you risk failure. Not just poor performance, but failure in your department or company. Using his experience with Fortune 500 companies, and especially with GE and Jack Welch, the author presents a picture of how using good methods to select and hire outstanding personnel in your budget range (whether internal or external) will lead to greater success. Do you really want to take the easy way out during the interview if it will lead to failure tomorrow? As almost a bonus (or filler chapter), Dr. Smart also suggests how to use the interviewing techniques to coach employees into becoming 'A' players. While Management by Objective is no longer a fashionable phrase, it is a valuable tool in the managment arsenal. This book gives you the framework to use MBO as you coach your employees. In the first week after I read the book I recommended it to three small business owners who need to hire good people. I recommend you read 'Topgrading' the next time you are looking for a manager... ...or VP or president or CEO. *feedback welcome at: jeffrey@davidson.net
Rating: 
Summary: Important Work for those who are growing a business!
Review: This book is an important work for me. As an entrepeneur, the book contained the information that I needed. A major part of the achievement puzzle. For those who read this review, the three pieces of knowledge I deemed most valueable are as follows: 1. Hire the top 10% of the people out there who are willilng to work for the wage offered. This book helps pinpoint characteristics of people most suitable thru a long interview section in the back of the book. I think its pretty darn accurate. 2. A players. B players. C & D players. Some B players cannot be converted to A. Some B are only B. C players cannot be converted to a B player. D players are D players pernamently. Certain personal characteristics of thinking indicate if you are A, B,C or D. Great Stuff! After reading this book I fell out of love with all the people around me, and proceeded to top grade my company. I strongly disagree with who ever the perplexed indivdual was who wrote in the customer review that this book - not to waste your money. Well, this book helped me waste my money all the way to the bank! 3. In general you should employ fewer people, and pay them more, to do more. Read the interview guide. I never considered spending 5 hours with a person to really dig deep and elicit characteristics with leading questions. I always thought an hour interview would be a long one. The book can be a yawner at parts but it gets going after the first few chapters. Great Book! The book has value.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not the best
Review: This book is OK, but certainly not up to the level that it is being hyped by friends of the author. There are other much better books out on recruiting and retention.
Rating:
Summary: Teaches managers a skill that most are notoriously missing
Review: This book not only teaches managers how to hire, but also teaches them how to coach and to improve their own performance. The book is appropriate for managers in big companies, and also for owners and managers of small businesses. How much time did you spend deciding which model to buy of that $25,000 piece of capital equipment... a week or two? How much time did you spend interviewing your most recent hire? Probably a lot less for the latter. But why? Probably because we managers have such poor interviewing skills. This book will give you the process to follow, ideas and even some specific questions to ask. No excuses that the labor market is so tight. We all know that. What we need to do is get the best person available for the job. This is the book to help you do that.
Rating:
Summary: Finally someone who understands how business should be run.
Review: This book represents the mentality we should all be in if we want to succeed as leaders. All too often we settle for someone to "fill the position" rather than using effective tools to interview and hire the best employees. Mr. Smart provides us with a new perspective on how we should approach hiring people to work for us, this includes CEO's. The cost of mis-hires is staggering. Look around your own workplace and see if you can separate the A players from the C players. One thing stands out in my mind, C players don't hire A players. So if you have C player management you will have to settle with mediocrity until something drastic happens--topgrading!
Rating:
Summary: Finally someone who understands how business should be run.
Review: This book represents the mentality we should all be in if we want to succeed as leaders. All too often we settle for someone to "fill the position" rather than using effective tools to interview and hire the best employees. Mr. Smart provides us with a new perspective on how we should approach hiring people to work for us, this includes CEO's. The cost of mis-hires is staggering. Look around your own workplace and see if you can separate the A players from the C players. One thing stands out in my mind, C players don't hire A players. So if you have C player management you will have to settle with mediocrity until something drastic happens--topgrading!
Rating:
Summary: Topgrading is a terrific mechanism
Review: While focussing attention on our people is not a new concept for us, Dr. Smart's Topgrading principles have provided a terrific mechanism to deliberately develop our organization's capability to perform at the highest level.
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