I often get a lot of questions about hiring. So today, I’m going to share one of my biggest secrets.

When you come to work with my company, you’ve got three rules to follow.

So rule number one is: you can’t give me or anybody on my team a headache.

Rule number two is: hit your mark.

And then finally, rule number three is: together, we’re better. In other words, what that means is we must work cohesively as a team. 

Now, the point that I want to address with you today is rule number two, which is, again, hit your mark.

Employers often like to dictate the mark for their employees by establishing a quota, a goal, etc. But this is a mistake. 

Research shows that employees who set their own goals based on their unique strengths are seven times more likely to be engaged in their work. (Source)

So not only do we want employees to be more engaged. The other thing is that when they set their own goals, they own them. 

You see, because hitting your mark is a condition of employment, before we hire anyone, we ask them, “what’s your mark?”

And the answer will tell you a lot about somebody if they tell you their mark, and it’s way too high. Either they’ve got a trick up their sleeve, or they’re too optimistic, and ultimately, they’re not gonna last in the company. 

If the mark is too low, they’re playing it far too safe. And we don’t want people on our team who are afraid to take risks.

Now, if the mark is within the range of what we consider acceptable for our company, then that tells us we might have our person. 

So in the hiring process, let your candidates set their mark. And then once they’re hired, then it’s your job to provide the resources, tools, and training to help them achieve their mark. 

You will find this style of hiring and leadership will not only bring you more engaged team members but also when everybody owns their goals, production output and results dramatically improve.