5 Leadership Lessons from Captain Kirk

I'm a Trekker. How could I not publish something from that not too distant future?
Thanks for your indulgence!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

5 Leadership Lessons from Captain Kirk
Alex Knapp, Forbes Staff

Captain James T. Kirk is one of the most famous Captains in the history of Starfleet. There’s a good reason for that. He saved the planet Earth several times, stopped the Doomsday Machine, helped negotiate peace with the Klingon Empire, kept the balance of power between the Federation and the Romulan Empire, and even managed to fight Nazis. On his five-year mission commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise, as well as subsequent commands, James T. Kirk was a quintessential leader, who led his crew into the unknown and continued to succeed time and time again.

Kirk’s success was no fluke, either. His style of command demonstrates a keen understanding of leadership and how to maintain a team that succeeds time and time again, regardless of the dangers faced. Here are five of the key leadership lessons that you can take away from Captain Kirk as you pilot your own organization into unknown futures.

1. Never Stop Learning
“You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there’s no such thing as the unknown– only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.”

Captain Kirk may have a reputation as a suave ladies man, but don’t let that exterior cool fool you. Kirk’s reputation at the Academy was that of a “walking stack of books,” in the words of his former first officer, Gary Mitchell. And a passion for learning helped him through several missions. Perhaps the best demonstration of this is in the episode “Arena,” where Kirk is forced to fight a Gorn Captain in single combat by advanced beings. Using his own knowledge and materials at hand, Kirk is able to build a rudimentary shotgun, which he uses to defeat the Gorn.

If you think about it, there’s no need for a 23rd Century Starship Captain to know how to mix and prepare gunpowder if the occasion called for it. After all, Starfleet officers fight with phasers and photon torpedoes. To them, gunpowder is obsolete. But the same drive for knowledge that drove Kirk to the stars also caused him to learn that bit of information, and it paid off several years later.

In the same way, no matter what your organization does, it helps to never stop learning. The more knowledge you have, the more creative you can be. The more you’re able to do, the more solutions you have for problems at your disposal. Sure, you might never have to face down a reptilian alien on a desert planet, but you never know what the future holds. Knowledge is your best key to overcoming whatever obstacles are in your way.

2. Have Advisors With Different Worldviews
“One of the advantages of being a captain, Doctor, is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it.”

Kirk’s closest two advisors are Commander Spock, a Vulcan committed to a philosophy of logic, and Dr. Leonard McCoy, a human driven by compassion and scientific curiosity. Both Spock and McCoy are frequently at odds with each other, recommended different courses of action and bringing very different types of arguments to bear in defense of those points of view. Kirk sometimes goes with one, or the other, or sometimes takes their advice as a springboard to developing an entirely different course of action.

However, the very fact that Kirk has advisors who have a different worldview not only from each other, but also from himself, is a clear demonstration of Kirk’s confidence in himself as a leader. Weak leaders surround themselves with yes men who are afraid to argue with them. That fosters an organizational culture that stifles creativity and innovation, and leaves members of the organization afraid to speak up. That can leave the organization unable to solve problems or change course. Historically, this has led to some serious disasters, such as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. (Ev interjection: I agree and more on how to correct the mistake of the Phantom Menace in a future blog)

Organizations that allow for differences of opinion are better at developing innovation, better at solving problems, and better at avoiding groupthink. We all need a McCoy and a Spock in our lives and organizations.

3. Be Part Of The Away Team
“Risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.”

Whenever an interesting or challenging mission came up, Kirk was always willing to put himself in harm’s way by joining the Away Team. With his boots on the ground, he was always able to make quick assessments of the situation, leading to superior results. At least, superior for everyone with a name and not wearing a red shirt. Kirk was very much a hands-on leader, leading the vanguard of his crew as they explored interesting and dangerous situations.

When you’re in a leadership role, it’s sometimes easy to let yourself get away from leading Away Team missions. After all, with leadership comes perks, right? You get the nice office on the higher floor. You finally get an assistant to help you with day to day activities, and your days are filled with meetings and decisions to be made, And many of these things are absolutely necessary. But it’s sometimes easy to trap yourself in the corner office and forget what life is like on the front lines. When you lose that perspective, it’s that much harder to understand what your team is doing, and the best way to get out of the problem. What’s more, when you’re not involved with your time, it’s easy to lose their trust and have them gripe about how they don’t understand what the job is like.

This is a lesson that was actually imprinted on me in one of my first jobs, making pizzas for a franchise that doesn’t exist anymore. Our general manager spent a lot of time in his office, focused on the paperwork and making sure that we could stay afloat on the razor-thin margins we were running. But one thing he made sure to do, every day, was to come out during peak times and help make pizza. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. The fact that he did so made me like him a lot more. It also meant that I trusted his decisions a lot more. In much the same way, I’m sure, as Kirk’s crew trusted his decisions, because he knew the risks of command personally.

4. Play Poker, Not Chess
“Not chess, Mr. Spock. Poker. Do you know the game?”

In one of my all-time favorite Star Trek episodes, Kirk and his crew face down an unknown vessel from a group calling themselves the “First Federation.” Threats from the vessel escalate until it seems that the destruction of the Enterprise is imminent. Kirk asks Spock for options, who replies that the Enterprise has been playing a game of chess, and now there are no winning moves left. Kirk counters that they shouldn’t play chess – they should play poker. He then bluffs the ship by telling them that the Enterprise has a substance in its hull called “corbomite” which will reflect the energy of any weapon back against an attacker. This begins a series of actions that enables the Enterprise crew to establish peaceful relations with the First Federation. (Ev Interjection: This episode is called "The Corbomite Maneuver" from season one)

I love chess as much as the next geek, but chess is often taken too seriously as a metaphor for leadership strategy. For all of its intricacies, chess is a game of defined rules that can be mathematically determined. It’s ultimately a game of boxes and limitations. A far better analogy to strategy is poker, not chess. Life is a game of probabilities, not defined rules. And often understanding your opponents is a much greater advantage than the cards you have in your hand. It was knowledge of his opponent that allowed Kirk to defeat Khan in Star Trek II by exploiting Khan’s two-dimensional thinking. Bluffs, tells, and bets are all a big part of real-life strategy. Playing that strategy with an eye to the psychology of our competitors, not just the rules and circumstances of the game can often lead to better outcomes than following the rigid lines of chess.

5. Blow up the Enterprise
“‘All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.’ You could feel the wind at your back in those days. The sounds of the sea beneath you, and even if you take away the wind and the water it’s still the same. The ship is yours. You can feel her. And the stars are still there, Bones.”

One recurring theme in the original Star Trek series is that Kirk’s first love is the Enterprise. That love kept him from succumbing to the mind-controlling spores in “This Side of Paradise,” and it’s hinted that his love for the ship kept him from forming any real relationships or starting a family. Despite that love, though, there came a point in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, where Captain Kirk made a decision that must have pained him enormously – in order to defeat the Klingons attacking him and save his crew, James Kirk destroyed the Enterprise. The occasion, in the film, was treated with the solemnity of a funeral, which no doubt matched Kirk’s mood. The film ends with the crew returning to Vulcan on a stolen Klingon vessel, rather than the Enterprise. But they returned victorious.

We are often, in our roles as leaders, driven by a passion. It might be a product or service, it might be a way of doing things. But no matter how much that passion burns within us, the reality is that times change. Different products are created. Different ways of doing things are developed. And there will come times in your life when that passion isn’t viable anymore. A time when it no longer makes sense to pursue your passion. When that happens, no matter how painful it is, you need to blow up the Enterprise. That is, change what isn’t working and embark on a new path, even if that means having to live in a Klingon ship for awhile.

Final Takeaway:
In his many years of service to the Federation, James Kirk embodied several leadership lessons that we can use in our own lives. We need to keep exploring and learning. We need to ensure that we encourage creativity and innovation by listening to the advice of people with vastly different opinions. We need to occasionally get down in the trenches with the members of our teams so we understand their needs and earn their trust and loyalty. We need to understand the psychology of our competitors and also learn to radically change course when circumstances dictate. By following these lessons, we can lead our organizations into places where none have gone before.

March Jokes 2012

Here are this months jokes.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Ev

Did you hear about the prune who went out with a grape?
He couldn't find a date!

What was found in the middle of Paris?
The letter "R"!

Did you hear about the angry flea?
He was hopping mad!

How come the nervous carpenter broke his teeth?
He was always biting his nails!

How come the anteater never got sick?
He was full of ANTy-bodies!

Your Client Gives Buying Clues

As a buyer we often give clues or "buying signs" when we want something.

We say things like we like the color or the price of something.  

Are you smart enough as a salesperson to pick up those clues and give your client what they want or do you always spin it?

We as salespeople are often told that the client doesn't always want or know what they really need, and it is our job to get them to want AND need what we are selling so they buy it.

We're told that by proper questioning and prospecting our solution will ALWAYS fit the client's needs and wants.

Anyone with any significant amount of sales experience should realize that often times the client does know what they want. They've already done their research and shopped your competitors and are giving you all the clues (a.k.a. buying signs) to walk out with a nice sale.

You don't need to brow beat them into buying more things they don't want or need or a solution that is different than what they want.

In the video above, Kermit (like a client) keeps giving clues to Cookie Monster what is in the box.

Cookie Monster (like some salespeople) keeps insisting it is a cookie.

Much like a salesperson insists their solution is great for a client when a client insists it isn't. The salesperson browbeats the client with their solutions that aren't right until sometimes the client gives up and buys what they are selling even though it isn't right. Just like Kermit giving a cookie to Cookie Monster, it is the client's way of politely getting rid of you-forever (they definitely won't buy from you or likely your company again and the thinking is a short term monetary loss is worth the freedom from your hassle).

Often times, like Cookie Monster, the salesperson says "That is it? I want more sales!" The client responds with "That was all I had," and the salesperson walks away like Cookie Monster does. Do you think Kermit will ever play this game with Cookie Monster again? Will your client ever buy from you again if you treat them like this?

Not listening to buying signs and clues can lead to a lost sale, a lost client, and lost future sales.

Don't take this advice and see if I'm right.

Thanks!

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy

Grover Sales Lesson #3433 The Importance of Digging for Answers

Earlier I wrote an article about the importance of digging deep into your client's needs through questions to get to the core problem that you and solution can solve by taking care of the real problem.
Keep-digging-to-help-your-clients


In the video above, Kermit suffers from having sun get into his eyes on bright days.
Grover's solution: Sunglasses!
Will that solve Kermit's problem?
No.
Why?
No ears to hold the glasses on his head.
Grover's solution: Give him ears!
Will that allow Kermit to wear sunglasses?
No.
Why?
No nose to hold them up.
Grover's solution: Give Kermit a nose!
Will that solve the problem?
Yes!
But your client will look ridiculous.
Taking the time to ask more questions in the beginning of the sale would have shown that Kermit was probably not a good prospect for Grover.
Make sure you are asking your client enough questions in the beginning to get to the fundamental answers that will clue you in how to solve their problems.

Thanks for reading!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

Grover Sales Lesson #3102 Your Client May Not Want Your Solution

Furry, lovable Grover. Who wouldn't want to buy something from him?

You might be the same fury and lovable salesperson, but does it mean that your client will automatically buy something from you, or that you should even sell them something in the first place. 
No.
Even if you have a solution for their problem, that doesn't mean they will buy from you or that it is the right solution for them in the first place.


In my opinion it is a better thing to walk away from a potential sale that isn't exactly right for your client. Don't risk losing their business in the future when your solution is the best and they need it and want it. Better to wait for the sale than to cram, bend, and twist them into a solution that might work in the short term but doesn't ultimately solve the problem.
Have you ever bought something then later regretted it because it wasn't the right long term solution? Yes. You get exactly what I mean.

If you are a recruiter and don't really have the people your client needs, don't send them someone who has no chance of being hired. It wastes your clients time and makes you look foolish for ignoring what your client clearly told you they wanted.

Thanks Grover for the lesson. Who knew I was getting good sales advice when I was three!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

March Newsletter

Greetings!
Here is the March edition of my newsletter! If you missed any of the articles I've published in the past, the newsletter is a good way to catch up on some of them.

If you are interested in an article click on the link and it will open for you.

2 Ideas to Help Manage Distractions:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/manage-distractions.html

Recruiters! Prospect, Sell, and Network better:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/recruiters-how-to-prospect-network-and.html

Why Recruiting is the Toughest Sales Job:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-recruiting-is-toughest-sales-job.html

Sucky Salesperson: Lying to A Client
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/sucky-salesperson-lying-to-client.html

There are other articles as well so please feel free to search my blog.
Thank you for everything!
Have a great March!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

Thank You Lesson

When I was starting out in sales many years ago, the vice president of sales at my company always said "thank you" for everything and anytime someone helped him even in the tiniest way.
It kind of became overkill is what I thought. I finally asked him why he always said thank you to everyone.

My boss had already been in sales for several years when he learned this lesson.
He told me a story about when how his former sales manager rewarded him with a golf trip because of his sales for the year. A few days after my boss got back from the trip he was called into his sales manager's office. The sales manager expressed his disappointment with my boss because my boss never said thank you for all the work that was done to get him the trip. My boss said it was one of the worst feelings he has ever had. Since that time my boss said he would rather thank people all the time then to forget again. I've adopted that and hence why I sign this blog and my emails with "thank you."

As a result I respond faster to people and companies when they take the time to thank me.


One one occasion I bought life insurance. I was a young investor in my early 20's.
The agent not only said thank you at the closing several times, they also wrote me a thank you card, and took me to lunch, and followed up every few months.


When that agent retired, the new agent that took over my account met with me once and never returned a call or email after that. That agent became a big shot in sales. Not on my referrals because I never gave him any! I was just a small investor to him I guess and not worth his time to educate.


I went to his competitor. The competitor has helped me get what I want from my investment. Even though I'm still a small investor, he treats and thanks me like I'm his biggest investor. He treats me to lunch and follows up with advice and referrals for me. He gets all my business, and referrals, and follows up with thanks. Take the time to appreciate your clients and they will appreciate you in a way you can appreciate.
My insurance agent realized that. So did my former boss, and myself.
See what two little words and maybe a stamp can get you?


THANK YOU for reading my blog!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

The Worst Cover Letter Ever?

As a recruiter or a salesperson you will look for a new job at some point.
When you do just make sure you don't write your cover letter like this example from Forbes!
Thanks!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

The Worst Cover Letter In The World And How To Avoid Its Mistakes
Worst-cover-letter-in-the-world

His name is Mark. He’s a junior at NYU and last month he submitted a truly terrible cover letter in his bid to land a summer position at J.P. Morgan. Never let it be claimed that investment bankers don’t have a sense of humor, because apparently his note has been forwarded the length and breadth of Wall Street to a chorus of hearty guffaws. Even the likes of Gawker and Business Insider have seen fit to poke fun at his over-the-top hard sell.

But what exactly makes his letter so cringe-worthy and how can everyone from would-be interns and rookie job seekers to mid-career pros pounding the pavement after an unanticipated lay-off avoid the same mistakes that made our aspiring investment banker a viral laughingstock? Read on to find out.
Here is the letter…..

1/23/2012

J.P. Morgan

Dear Sir or Madame:

I am an ambitious undergraduate at NYU triple majoring in Mathematics, Economics, and Computer Science. I am a punctual, personable, and shrewd individual, yet I have a quality which I pride myself on more than any of these.

I am unequivocally the most unflaggingly hard worker I know, and I love self-improvement. I have always felt that my time should be spent wisely, so I continuously challenge myself; I left Villanova because the work was too easy. Once I realized I could achieve a perfect GPA while holding a part-time job at NYU, I decided to redouble my effort by placing out of two classes, taking two honors classes, and holding two part-time jobs. That semester I achieved a 3.93, and in the same time I managed to bench double my bodyweight and do 35 pull-ups.

I say these things only because solid evidence is more convincing than unverifiable statements, and I want to demonstrate that I am a hard worker. J.P. Morgan is a firm with a reputation that precedes itself and employees who represent only the best and rightest in finance. I know that the employees in this firm will push me to excellence, especially within the Investment Banking division. In fact, one of the supporting reasons I chose Investment Banking over any other division was that I know it is difficult. I hope to augment my character by diligently working for the professionals at Morgan Stanley, and I feel I have much to offer in return.

I am proficient in several programming languages, and I can pick up a new one very quickly. For instance, I learned a years worth of Java from NYU in 27 days on my own; this is how I placed out of two including: Money and Banking, Analysis, Game Theory, Probability and Statistics. Even further, I am taking Machine Learning and Probabilistic Graphical Modeling currently, two programming courses offered by Stanford, so that I may truly offer the most if I am accepted. I am proficient with Bloomberg terminals, excellent with excel, and can perform basic office functions with terrifying efficiency. I have plenty of experience in the professional world through my internship at Merrill Lynch, and my research assistant position at NYU. In fact, my most recent employer has found me so useful that he promoted me to a Research Assistant and an official CTED intern. This role is usually reserved for Masters students, but my employer gave the title to me so that he could give me more work.

Please realize that I am not a braggart or conceited, I just want to outline my usefulness. Egos can be a huge liability, and I try not to have one.

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Mark


Skip the pointless bragging
“That semester I achieved a 3.93, and in the same time I managed to bench double my bodyweight and do 35 pull-ups.”
While the folly of mentioning your fitness routine should be self-evident, you can skip including the GPA, too. And the discussion of the classes you’ve excelled in and the laundry list of adjectives to describe your awesomeness. Your cover letter should be concise, targeted and should focus on what you can and will do to contribute to your potential employer’s success. Unless the job you’re applying for involves heavy lifting, leave out the gym stats.

Don’t make it all about you
“J.P. Morgan is a firm with a reputation that precedes itself and employees who represent only the best and rightest[sic] in finance. I know that the employees in this firm will push me to excellence, especially within the Investment Banking division. In fact, one of the supporting reasons I chose Investment Banking over any other division was that I know it is difficult. I hope to augment my character by diligently working for the professionals at Morgan Stanley, and I feel I have much to offer in return.”

Not only does Mark mention two different companies in this paragraph (a dead giveaway that he’s been shopping the same cut and paste letter to multiple firms), he speaks only in the broadest of generalities about the company he aspires to work for. He doesn’t demonstrate any knowledge of their operations and doesn’t include any details about their latest newsworthy accomplishments or give an indication that he’s so much as browsed the corporate website before firing off a resume. Your cover letter isn’t about you; it’s about what you can do for the company. And you can’t effectively discuss that without speaking in specifics about their business and how you can strengthen it.

Know when to quit
Mark’s letter is six paragraphs long. The more you write in a cover letter, the more opportunities you have to turn off the hiring manager by including information, details, typos or awkward phrasing that will land your resume in the circular file. Your job is to get in, make a good impression and get out again as quickly (and in as few words) as possible. Let your resume do the heavy lifting when it comes to selling your skills. The cover letter should only be long enough to introduce your most relevant experience, demonstrate how it would concretely benefit the company’s operations and provide a brief closing that confirms your interest and availability for further discussion.

Don’t get sloppy
There are typos in Mark’s letter, as well as missing words and the ultimate faux pas of the mixed-up company names mentioned above. If you can’t sustain a professional level of communication in a one-page note, it makes you seem careless, uninterested and sloppy. These are not qualities anyone hires for. Proof your cover letter fanatically and get at least one additional set of eyes to review it on your behalf. And for God’s sake, don’t cut and paste the same letter for every position.

Preventing and Countering Candidate Lies

Continuing on the theme of how to combat a lie by a candidate.
Thanks!
Ev

Preventing-and-countering-candidate-lies
by
Mark Bregman

I saw an article recently entitled 7 Resume Lies Employers Will Never Check, on the excellent candidate-oriented web site Resume Bear. This inspired me to write the anti-article – how to counter these lies that candidates think they might get away with. So here are the lies, and the strategies I would advocate to prevent, counter, and probe through the potential deception:

Lies of Omission: This is about leaving out information, and only putting things down that “sell” the candidate. So, you might see: “Increased sales by 30%” on the resume of someone who isn’t that likely to have been responsible for sales. I would ask: What percentage of your time did you spend in sales related activity? What other responsibilities did you have? Who ultimately was responsible for sales at your company? What specifically was your contribution to the sales process? Did you receive incentive compensation for sales? [If not], Why not? Who else got commissions or incentives for those sales?

Taking Credit for Team Success: Candidate might state “WE turned around the company with this idea.” Similar to the questions above, I would ask: Who came up with the idea? What specifically was your contribution? Who could verify that? Would your boss give you credit for being responsible for this? And, the statement I make WHENEVER someone uses WE in answers: The word WE confuses me. I know that corporate America has conditioned us to only think of teams, but for the purpose of interviewing with me or with the employer, please use the word “I”, so that the listener can be clear on what you personally have done.

Numbers, Stats: The article advises the job seeker to liberally sprinkle their resumes with percentages, dollar signs, improvement metrics, etc. This is actually helpful to both job seeker AND employer if the numbers are truthful and meaningful. Improving on-time delivery by 50% isn’t so good if the company was late 60% of the time. So now they are late 40% of the time! Not a great performance record. Similarly, people will use % when the dollars aren’t significant. If someone claims a 200% increase in sales, but only increased sales (let’s say of a start up operation) from $100,000 to $300,000, then maybe the performance wasn’t that great.

Favorable Comparisons: The article advises people to say things like “top performer” or “among the company’s leading performers”. But, if the company only had one person in that function, the candidate might certainly be the top performer, but not a top performer.

Going beyond ordinary: Someone who has only been a fast food restaurant server might easily have bullets that say: “Excels in customer service” and “Achieved 100% on-time delivery”. People in other jobs also extrapolate the transferability of their skills, and good resume writers are superb at putting these sorts of “translations” into people’s resumes. You can ask: Tell me more about what this customer service entailed. How did you achieve 100% on time delivery? Probe for details and don’t stop until you fully understand the context and the actual extent of the claimed achievement.

Loving every job: Interview books and coaches preach to candidates to never talk negatively about a previous job or employer. This is good advice, and most candidates practice it. Some will even claim to have had a positive experience in every job they’ve had. Two good ways to double check: What were the circumstances of your departure? Did you leave voluntarily? Were you let go? Why? Beware of statements like, “It was a mutual decision.” It wasn’t! Also ask: Would your boss from Job A be a reference for you today?

Tailoring your resume: The article advises job seekers to describe themselves as the interviewer would want them to be – to tailor the resume to look like the ideal candidate would look. This isn’t so bad, if the candidate is skillfully and selectively portraying the TRUTH to their best advantage. It is up to the employer to ensure that all key claims, especially the ones that relate to necessary job competencies, are explored and verified.

In summary, the ideas in this article for candidates encourage them to “spin” the way they express themselves, which companies do as well: We all market aspects of the product or service in ways that will resonate with the buyer. You know how all the drug commercials on TV list the awful side effects? The FDA requires that. There are no similar protections about job candidates! The employer, as the buyer of the candidate’s skills, MUST probe enough, ask enough, and verify enough to ensure that the promised “package” will deliver.

Understanding Candidate's Lies

Some people in sales are surprised to learn that prospects lie all the time.
We as good human beings are not supposed to lie and have been taught that since we were born.
We've also been taught not to hurt other people's feelings.
Lying to a salesperson is the one exception to the "never lie rule," however it is usually done because the prospect doesn't want to hurt your feelings so it comes from a good intention.

As a recruiter, candidates lie all the time. Someone comes in all dressed up and neat resume and we think "I've got a good candidate here." The candidate says they have a clean background. You take them at their word (nice people don't lie, right?) and send them to your client. The client does a background check and finds out the candidate is dirtier than Al Capone. You only need to be made to look foolish in this way once or twice before you learn. As President Reagan said once about nuclear arms treaties, "Trust. Yet verify." 
If you are new to the recruiting game read the article below.
Thanks!
Ev

Understanding Candidate Lies
Posted by Mark Bregman on November 22, 2011 at 12:55pmView Blog.

I write a lot about lying, mostly because it is happening all the time. Candidates lie to recruiters for a variety of reasons. Recruiters have to expect a certain amount of lying. Some of it is even understandable. Here are some examples:

George says he is willing to relocate, no problem. Weeks later, many obstacles materialize that would interfere. These aren’t sudden changes in his life. Why did George lie? Because he didn’t want YOU to rule HIM out for the opportunity. He wanted to be in the driver’s seat to judge if this would be a compelling position for him. Is there a way to get at the truth? Yes. You must be willing to go right up to the line, right up front, and ask, “What obstacles could there be to your ability to relocate?” Most candidates will then be truthful, and when they open the door to those issues, you can explore them.

Mary tells your researcher/recruiter (first line point of contact) that she is making $150K. Your position pays $130-140K, so you think perhaps you should rule her out. But she is so qualified, you take her through a few more steps. When you, the person in charge of the search, talk to her in more detail, Mary reveals her base salary is $127K, but with bonus (not paid in the last year) and stock options (which are on a vesting schedule), her PACKAGE is $150. However, last year, Mary made about $125K without bonus, before her raise, and with minimal option vesting. So, your opportunity at $140K, with a targeted 20% bonus indeed represents a step up. Why did Mary lie? She didn’t want to undersell herself. She thought if she said $127K, it might lower the ultimate offer she’d get from the employer. When a candidate talks about comp, train your recruiters to ask, “So your base salary is….? And your bonus potential is…? And the actual amount of bonus you’ve received in the past three years has been …?” This detailed line of questioning must be asked congruently – as if you expect the truth. Don’t waffle. Make sure the candidate knows you mean business, and that the employer expects the exact amounts.

Harry says he was recruited to his last two positions. Later on, in exploring his job changes in detail, he reveals that his departure was a “mutual decision.” Probing, you learn he was let go, then contacted recruiters, and found jobs through those recruiters – not quite being “recruited.” Why did Harry lie? This one is obvious: He didn’t want you to rule him out because of a spotty track record. We ask, “What were the circumstances of your departure from Company A?” If the candidate takes more than 2 sentences to answer, and if you are unclear on what they are saying, odds are they were fired. Probe, probe, probe, with questions like: “Who made the ultimate decision? What would your boss say about the circumstances of your leaving? Did you receive a severance package? Did you have the new position before you left Company A? Will your ex-boss from Company A be a reference for you? No? Why not?” Get the details.

Unfortunately, these patterns occur all the time. Mostly, candidates are trying to protect themselves from harm – the harm of being deselected too soon – before a recruiter really knows the whole story. What candidates DON’T always understand is that many of these facts won’t necessarily rule them out. If they have all the qualifications, employers have learned to not always judge the fine print in the past, especially if the candidate has been forthcoming and truthful.