Are You Hiring Deciders, or Drifters?

Recent research confirms that top performers ranging from managers of major league baseball teams to customer service reps on the store floor have one thing in common: they are Deciders. And there are plenty of them out there just waiting to be recruited.

In the last decade, renowned industrial psychologist Timothy Judge at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business has discovered a set of four characteristics that are found in high performers in virtually every industry, every job level, and every variety of circumstance from boom to bust. Together these four characteristics make up a sort of super trait called a “core self-evaluation.” As Judge describes it, the core self-evaluation is a person’s fundamental bottom line evaluation of their abilities. That self-evaluation has an enormous impact on their job performance.

The Decider Advantage

In one fascinating study, Judge and his team tracked the progress of more than 12,000 people from their teenage years to middle age. He found that core self-evaluations predicted who did and who didn’t capitalize on the advantages life dealt them. With only a bleak view of their capacity to handle life’s challenges and opportunities, even the brightest kids born to executives and doctors failed to reach as high an annual income as their less fortunate classmates.

By contrast, the supremely confident sons and daughters of roofers and plumbers who had only mediocre SAT scores and below average grades earned a 30%-60% higher income than the smart kids with dreary views of their abilities. And those kids with all the advantages of intelligence and pedigree plus a firm belief in their competence earned three times as much money as their equally blessed peers.

I refer to people with a high core self-evaluation as “Deciders.” Deciders have such a firmly rooted belief in their ability to shape the events more than events shape them, that they aren’t afraid to make decisions. That simple willingness to make a call gives them a tremendous advantage that snowballs throughout their life. As the 13^th century Turkish sage Nasreddin said “Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.” People who simply make more decisions — both good and bad — develop good judgment faster.

For example, let’s say you’re interviewing Matt and Jen for a job. Both Matt and Jen have seven years of experience in their field, but Jen is a Decider and Matt is a Drifter. Matt’s MO is to drift through each day deferring decisions to his bosses and his colleagues. Jen, on the other hand, makes decisions all day, every day. Even if they began their careers with equal abilities, seven years later Jen’s judgment will be far sharper than Matt’s simply because she has made more decisions. That’s why Timothy Judge’s colleagues have found that Deciders sell more than other employees. They give better customer service. They adjust better to foreign assignments. They are more motivated. They experience less stress. They like their jobs a heck of a lot more.

Spotting the Next Superstars

Unfortunately, judgment is a squishy concept that you won’t find on a resume. But spotting Deciders is much easier. Judge’s simple 12-question “Core Self-Evaluations Scale” is free on his website. In the meantime, here’s what to look for during the recruitment process:

Self-efficacy: People who believe they can overcome challenges are more successful in virtually every sphere of life including work.
Internal locus of control: Does this employee take control of his work, or does he always point to outside circumstances when his projects go astray?
Confidence, not narcissism: There is an important difference between having a high self-evaluation and being a narcissist. Does the employee pitch in when teammates need help, or badmouth co-workers they view as a threat? Are they receptive or defensive when you receive feedback?
Emotional stability: Employees who aren’t easily discouraged are less likely to succumb to stress and burnout.

The competition for top talent is growing fiercer with each passing day. Hunting for Deciders might just give you the secret ingredient for success as a recruiter.