Index
Absolutes, 133
Abstract language, 101–2, 109–10
Accountability, personal, 83–84, 189–92
Active voice, 130–31
Adaptation, 45–46
Animal questions, 56
Answer guidelines. See Brown Shorts answer guidelines Apple, xvi, 14
Aristotle, 56
attitude versus skills, xii–xv, 14
bless their hearts (low skills, high attitude), 15–16
caring, 36
challenging, 36
condescending, 35
ignoring, 36
objectivity, 36
overwhelming, 36
persistence, 36
placating, 35
sincerity, 36–37
talented terrors (high skills, low attitude), 16–17
understanding, 36
unique for organization, xvi, 1–37
Attitude characteristics, 18–28
differential, 18–20
finding brown shorts, 20–28, 62
Authenticity, 171–73
Behavioral questions, xvii, 43–49
Behavioral specificity, 22–28, 154, 193–94
Bless their hearts, 15–16
Boss
assessment of employee strengths, 84–85
assessment of employee weaknesses, 85–87
contacting former, 81–82
describing, 82–83
Brainteaser questions, 64–65
Brown Shorts ads. See Job ads
Brown Shorts answer guidelines, xviii, 89–118, 208
actual answers, 101–3
case study, 90–97
employee role in forming, 110–13
formalized approach, 101
objectivity and, 137
origins, 110–13
positive signals, 98, 99–101, 102–3, 106–10
ratings, 91–92
samples, 137–41
scoring answers, 119–41 (see also Scoring)
surveys, 113–17
Brown Shorts Discovery, 2–37, 62
definitions, 4–10
finding brown shorts, 20–28
interviews, 21–28
Microchip Technology, 33–37
negative versus positive brown shorts, 20, 63, 156
online survey, 30–33
training current employees, 185–92
Brown Shorts interview questions, 59–87, 207–8
characteristics, 62–63
coachability question, 80–87
multiple interpretations, 73, 78–79
process of creating, 61–72
sample answers, 71–72, 75, 77–78, 92, 137–41
on surveys, 115–17
wording, 69–70
Byrnes, Terry, 200–205
Caesars Entertainment Corporation, 200–205
Career fairs, 181
CareerBuilder, 172–73
research, 182–83
surveys on job applications, 177
Work@, 173
Case studies
CEOs, 162
chemical company answer guidelines, 90–97
Microchip Technology, 33–37
programmers, 151–53
software development, 159–60
Southwest Airlines, 4–10
CEOs, 162
Change, resistance to, xiii–xiv
Choice, 69
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, xiv
Coachability, xii
Coachability question, 80–87
Code Jam, xiv–xv Comfort zone, 71, 91–92
Company career portal, 181–82
Company recruiters, 181. See also Recruitment
Competition, 145–46
Concept attainment, 194–96
Control issues, 68–70
Courtesy, 23
Coworkers, 46–47
Culture, organizational, 1–37, 62, 91
fun culture, 4–7
Microchip Technology, 34–36
Southwest Airlines, 4–7
Customers, difficult, 74–76
Dating analogy, 169–70
Differential characteristics, 18–20
realism, 20
Differential situations, 64–67, 76–77
Drama, creating, xiii–xiv
Emotional intelligence, xii
Emotions, 131–32
Employee engagement, 166–67
Employee improvement, xix
Employee referrals, 176–77, 181–82
Employee surveys, 30–33
participation, 32–33
questions, 31–32
Employee training, 185–92
Employees
executive, 144
professional, 144
technical, 144
unskilled, 144
Entitlement, feelings of, xiii–xiv
ExecuNet, 162
Execution of ideas, 52
Executive interviews, 21–28
Exercise
3-3-3, 29–30
Failure, attitudes toward, 73
“Why CEOs Get Fired,” 52
Formula: P = A + U + S, 149–79
application of, 173–79
attraction, 151–58
suspicions, 171–73
urgency, 158–71
Fun, 4–7
High performers, xiv, 46, 50, 63, 110
attitude, 36–37
in differential situations, 64–67
job opportunities, 144–45
job training, 187–92
questions for, 162–64
rating inflation, 122
recruitment of, 155
shoves and tugs to leave current job, 158–71
textual analysis, 126–33
Hiring. See also Recruitment
brown shorts interview questions, 59–87
fits for organization, 13–14
people not to hire, 13–17
Hiring for Attitude, certification for, 2, 209
Hiring managers
training, 90–97
Hiring metrics
hire engagement, 180
hire tenure, 180
manager satisfaction, 180
quality of hire, 179
Hiring profiles, 24
Homicidal triad, 53
Hundred Percenters (Murphy), 123, 164
Hypothetical questions, xvii, 49–52
Individualism, 1
Initiative, xiii–xiv
Insecurity, 133
Interview questions, xvii
animal questions, 56
behavioral questions, xvii, 43–49
brainteaser questions, 64–65
broad versus specific, 21–22
Brown Shorts answer guidelines, 89–118
brown shorts interview questions, 59–87 (see also Brown Shorts interview questions)
canned answers, 41
coachability question, 80–87
creating, 61–72
hypothetical questions, xvii, 49–52
illegal, 57
pseudo-psychological, 57
recitation skills, 41–42
signaling answers, 44–47
undifferentiating questions, xvii, 53–57
useless, 39–57
valid, 53
well-known, 40–43
Interviews
finding brown shorts, 21–28
recording, 28–29
seating arrangement, 102
Job ads, 147–49
key phrases, 152
print media, 181
programmer, 151–53
shoves and tugs, 168–71
testing message, 177–79
Job applications
Job boards, 181–82
Job offers
conditional, 61
Job post, xix
Job seekers, 172–73
Kelleher, Herb, 6
answering guidelines, 90, 101, 111, 112–13
certification training, 125, 185
clients, 185
coachability, 80
employee engagement survey, 95
evaluation of interview questions, 47
forms for recording interviews, 28
forms for research, 37
Global Talent Management Survey, 164, 176, 180
interview questions, 65
rating form, 119–20
size of organizations, 29
surveys, 40
talent-management studies, 143–44
textual analysis, 126
webinar, 185
“Why CEOs Get Fired,” 52
word pictures, 205
Leadership word picture, 199
Leading by example, 26
Listening, 135–37
Little, Mitch, 35
Low performers, xiii–xiv, 14, 46, 63, 110
attitude, 35–36
bless their hearts (low skills, high attitude), 15–16
in differential situations, 64–67
job training, 187–92
recruitment of, 155
talented terrors (high skills, low attitude), 16–17
textual analysis, 126–33
Macdonald, John M., 53–54
Macdonald Triad, 53
Marketing, 148–49
Microchip Technology, 33–37
culture, 34–36
Mission statements, 95–96, 196
MOKA, 60–61
Motivation, xii
Negation, 133
Networking, 181–82
New hires
attitude versus skills, xii–xv
failure, xi–xii
front-line employees’ reaction to, 30–33
Nonprofit organizations, 60
Nursing hires, 2–4
Online surveys front-line employees, 30–33
Organizational size, 29
Outside recruiters, 181. See also Recruitment
Passive voice, 130–31
Performance. See also Low performers
appraisal data, 21
performance breakdown, 17
skills versus attitude, 14
Performance expectations, 187–92
Personal growth, 97
Positive signals, 98, 99–101, 102–3, 106–10
examples, 139–41
textual analysis, 126–33
Priorities, 47
Problem bringers, 45–49
answers to brown shorts questions, 73–78
answers to brown shorts questions, 73–78
Procrastination, xiii–xiv
Professionalism, 23–24
Pronouns, 127–28
Pseudo-psychological questions, 57
Qualifiers, 132–33
Questions
animal, 56
attitude and, xvii–xviii
behavioral, xvii
behavioral questions, 43–49
brainteaser questions, 64–65
Brown Shorts answer guidelines, 89–118
brown shorts interview questions, 59–87 (see also Brown Shorts interview questions)
coachability question, 80–87
correlations, 53–54
creating, 61–72
hypothetical questions, xvii, 49–52
illegal, 57
interview, xvii, 39–57 (see also Interview questions)
interview questions, 59–87
surveys, 115–17
undifferentiating questions, xvii, 53–57
valid, 53
well-known, 40–43
Rapport, 41
Rasmussen, Brent, 172
Recognition, 64
Recruitment, xix, 143–84, 208. See also Hiring
channels, 180–83
employee referrals, 176–77, 181
formula: P = A + U + S, 149–79
need for Brown Shorts, 155, 177
programmers, 151–53
questions for, 162
recruiting message, 146–49, 177
sales pitches, 146–49, 176, 177
shoves and tugs, 162–64
study of successful recruitment, 143–44
tenure data, 167
Research services, 181
Ritz-Carlton, 76
Sales pitch, 146–49
Brown Shorts and, 175–77
Scoring, 119–41
description on scales, 122
listening, 135–37
low scores, 123–24
rating Brown Shorts, 125–26
rating inflation, 122
seven-point scale, 121–23
standards, 134–35
tallying scores, 124–25
textual analysis, 126–33
timing, 134–35
Self-directed learning, 97, 106, 108
Shoves, 158–71 passim examples, 164–67
job ads, 168–71
Silence, 135–37
Skills
acquiring new skills, 64
attitude versus skills, xii–xv, 14
bless their hearts (low skills, high attitude), 15–16
talented terrors (high skills, low attitude), 16–17
testing, xiv
bad sales pitches, 176
Southwest Airlines, xvi, 4–10, 13, 76
awards, 9–10
fun culture, 4–7
Standards
scoring, 134–35
work standards, 79
Strategy, company, 95
Superstars, 3
analysis, 117–18
Brown Shorts questions, 115–17
invitation to participate, 113–15
warm-up questions, 115
Talented terrors, 16–17
Target, xvi
Team conflict, 50–52
Temperament, xii
Terminations. See Firing workers
Textual analysis, 126–33
absolutes, 133
active versus passive voice, 130–31
emotions, 131–32
negation, 133
pronouns, 127–28
qualifiers, 132–33
verb tense, 128–30
waffling, 133
Thinking outside the box, 79
Total service, 201
Toxic personalities, 52
Training current employees, 185–92
Tugs, 158–71 passim
job ads, 168–71
Undifferentiating questions, xvii, 53–57
University of Washington Tacoma, 135–37
Verb tense, 128–30
Voice, active versus passive, 130–31
Waffling, 133
Walmart, xvi
examples, 137–39
textual analysis, 126–33
Word pictures, xix, 21, 192–205
behavioral specificity, 193–94
Caesars Entertainment Corporation, 200–205
concept attainment, 194–96
leadership word picture, 199
topics, 196–99