Hire for potential, not position

Aug. 24, 2018

If you haven’t already, adjust your search criteria and seek teammates with exceptional 'learning agility,' not perfect experience qualifications.

Joe Thompson

We run our businesses.

Well, not really.

As executives in the fleet industry, we set the direction of our businesses and our teams run the business.

There’s a problem, though. Finding the right team members with the exact “good and right” experience is not easy. How many times have you thought, “Business is good, but I can’t hire enough qualified talent to keep up with what’s really needed”?

In this economy, it holds true almost everywhere.

Here’s your fuel for thought: Hire for potential, not position.

Gears must shift with the road conditions; the same holds true in the hunt for the best team to run your business. If you haven’t already, adjust your search criteria and seek teammates with exceptional “learning agility,” not perfect experience qualifications. After all, a good organization will attract better talent when it’s focused on providing vision in form of career path(s) for its team.

At ROUSH CleanTech, we’ve experienced great success in a tough labor market because we did just that.

What’s your hiring approach? Leave a comment here, call me at 800.59.ROUSH or join the conversation here.

About the Author

Joe Thompson | Group President, Roush Products Group

Joe Thompson is group president of Roush Products Group, working within the corporate structure of Roush and overseeing ROUSH CleanTech and ROUSH Performance Products. He is a member of the Roush Enterprise Steering Committee.

Previously he served as president of ROUSH CleanTech, growing the company from six employees to more than 90. Under Thompson’s leadership, ROUSH CleanTech won numerous quality control and environmental awards, including Supplier of the Year from Blue Bird and a Michigan Green Leader honorable mention. He is a recipient of the 2013 Green Fleet Sustainability All-Star award.

Thompson has worked with Roush since 1996. In his previous appointment as vice president and general manager, he helped establish ROUSH Performance as one of the premier brands in the automotive aftermarket segment.

Raised in Ohio, he earned a degree in public relations from Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism. He lives with his wife and two sons in Ann Arbor, Mich.