Episode 17. Objectivity + Intuition: Your Magic Formula for Hiring Amazing Talent
INTRODUCTION
Did you know… Albert Einstein once said, “the only real valuable thing is intuition.” Now that’s a heavy statement. I’m sure you know many people that would agree that intuition is that sense of knowingness and trusting ourselves that we should really rely on. In fact, Harvard Business Review cited that 85-97% of professionals say that they use their intuition to make hiring decisions in some way or another, but here’s the thing… There is plenty of research that proves that we as humans aren’t actually the best at choosing the right people for the job! That doesn’t bode well for the 85% of us who use intuition to make what we think is the right hire, does it?
But if you noticed by the title of this episode - I’m not actually advocating that you throw out intuition! Why? Because frankly, intuition is a subconscious process of relying on all of the information and experience that we have stored in our brain and spirit. It’s not conscious. But that doesn’t make it altogether wrong either.
In the case of hiring specifically, though, intuition can be slightly unreliable and potentially problematic. So in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about intuition and trusting your gut, what the heck your intuition may have in common with implicit bias, and how we can introduce objectivity into your hiring decisions without throwing out your intuition completely.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRUST YOUR GUT?
There are so many schools of thought around intuition and it’s place in business that we’d be debating back and forth for hours if we aren’t careful… but per usual I’ve done my research and while it’s tempting for me to completely nerd out on research and statistics and all that fun stuff… I actually came across a few quotes that capture the essence of what it means to use your intuition wisely. My intuition (pun intended) told me that these quotes would help us chat about this on a deeper level...
Here are three of the best quotes I came across…
Joyce Brothers, an American Psychologist said: “Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.”
Jonas Salk, scientist and discoverer of the polio vaccine, said: “Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.”
And Florence Scovel Shinn, author, illustrator, and spiritual teacher said: “Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.”
Here’s why I gravitated towards these three perspectives on the power of your intuition.
They do not discredit the fact that intuition is an extremely quick mental process that compiles all of this information stored in your subconscious and communicates it back to you in a split second… via your gut.
They acknowledge that intuition is something a bit separate from the thinking and conscious mind.
They do a good job of alluding to the fact that intuition is one piece of information, that we can trust, while still probing for more...
IMPLICIT BIAS
You may be thinking if intuition is as magical as it sounds… based on information in our subconscious which is usually trying to protect us… why do we need to probe any deeper than who our intuition is telling us to hire?
Two words: implicit bias
We’ve already accepted the idea that our intuition is based on mental processing that’s outside of our awareness and control… but there’s a lot of human processes that occur under the service. Bring your attention to your breath, is it slow or fast? Does it feel different now that you're thinking about it? What about your heart rate? Blinking? You see there are all types of physical and mental processes that happen subconsciously without our direct control. Our bodies and mind allow for processes to happen without conscious thought because it frees up our minds to focus on things that do need a lot of conscious thought! It’s all a tradeoff.
Have you ever seen one of those posts on Facebook that asks you to read a sentence quickly… and it’s super easy. But then the post prompts you to look at that sentence more closely and it’s only when you pay close attention that you realize there are letters missing throughout! You didn’t even notice before! Your brain quickly connected the dots for you, based on previous information?! That applies to so many aspects of our lives… and it’s not a totally bad thing… it’s trying to help us make efficient decisions.
But here’s the thing, we all have unique experiences and beliefs that we carry with us… and these are present in our subconscious mind. Sometimes they lead us to hold attitudes or stereotypes that we don’t even realize we hold consciously…. This is called implicit bias.
We ALL have them. And we can have implicit biases across all types of human characteristics… age, race, weight, socioeconomic background, language… I mean the possibilities are endless.
There are decades of neurology and cognitive psychology studies that clearly show implicit bias influences the way we see and treat others, even when we're absolutely determined to be, and believe we are being, fair and objective.
So why does this matter and what does it have to do with using your intuition to hire?
You may not like what I’m about to say, but I’m going to call it like it is… You may be thinking you hire fairly by trusting your intuition when in reality you're relying on implicit bias.
Stick with me here: if your intuition is subconscious information being communicated to you… then it can’t help but draw some of its information from implicit biases that you may hold. That doesn’t mean it’s intentional and it doesn’t mean that you mean any harm by it.
But now that you know, it is something to be aware of. So, first, we’re going to talk about how you can incorporate objectivity to battle implicit bias that may be masquerading as your intuition.
HOW TO BALANCE OBJECTIVITY AND INTUITION
So, how do you do this as simply as possible? I want this to be your new mantra: objectivity, intuition, validation.
First, start with objectivity.
When you’re hiring… you want to begin with objectivity. In practice, this would mean starting by thinking about your applicants using their objective measures: who has the skillset you’re looking for, experience, or references? Who went the extra mile by writing a really thoughtful message or cover letter that went with their resume or application? Think through those elements first. Who seems like a good fit based on personality… or simply just your gut.
Second, honor your intuition… but don’t be afraid to question it.
Let’s pretend you’ve interviewed a few people to manage your social media and you have two top candidates. You may be thinking, I know Ashley doesn’t have the experience or technical skills that Taylor has… but there’s just something about Ashley that I LOVE!
I don’t want you to completely dismiss that intuition. It’s valid that you’re sensing something in Ashley that you can’t put your finger on. But I’m going to challenge you to pause and dig a little deeper. What about Ashley are you sensing? Is it just the fact that y’all bonded over your puppies and you found out that she’s reading your favorite book? How much does that really make her more qualified for the job? Now maybe you're sensing that she loves the industry. Will that truly help her be better at her job? Maybe! You see, these are little questions that you can ask yourself just to test that gut feeling.
And then think about Taylor… maybe y’all didn’t get a chance to have as much small talk as you did with Ashley. Is it only the feeling of bonding that is making you choose Ashley over her? Really consider what’s at the root of this because the truth is… if you tried to bond a bit more with Taylor (who is actually more qualified for what your business needs) chances are you will be able to find commonalities that you two can bond over as well!
Finally, if your decision is based on a gut feeling, validate it!
We’re talking about adding a new person to your team here! This is major. Deciding between Ashley and Taylor could impact your business in ways you’ve never imagined… and also, I want you to remember… who you hire will impact their career!
A good rule of thumb is to never hire or make a major decision unless you can find objective proof that validates your intuition! Especially if your intuition is the main thing separating one person from another. In the case of our example… skills and experience alone say that Taylor is the better fit… but your intuition wants Ashley. So, it’s not too extreme to probe a little deeper!
Consider having a second round of interviews! Or maybe having both Ashley and Taylor do a pre-employment project. It may be worth you paying both of them a small amount of money to complete a tester project and track how the experience is with each of them!
Maybe your intuition sensed that although Ashley wasn’t familiar with a few programs… she’s a quick study. She could knock it out of the park! On the other hand, if your intuition was really some kind of implicit bias in disguise… this little test can call it out! You may get proven wrong and that’s a blessing in disguise!
CONCLUSION
There you have it, my friend, that’s how you can still utilize your intuition without succumbing to the slippery slope of implicit bias. When hiring, always start with objective measures… resumes, references, testimonials, their answers to open-ended interview questions… take note of what your intuition is telling you, honor it, but don’t be afraid to question it! And if your intuition is the main driving force behind your hiring decision… make sure you validate it! Either ask more questions, do a test, or even bring in a second opinion. It’s better to be thorough when we’re talking about building your dream team!
