The first rule of hiring is to know that you are not hiring the person forever: Whitney Johnson
Whitney Johnson, Co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, contributor for Harvard Review blog, double-ranked institutional investor and a mother, talks about how passion and dreams do not have an age limit or expiration. In this exclusive interview with BW People, Johnson tells us about self-disruption and constant movements in her career that has led her to the ladder of success. She feels that once you get to the top, you’re back to the beginning of something new and learning never stops.
Q. Tell our readers three hacks as a recruiter to hire and retain talent?
Often when we hire people we hire them a at high end of the learning curve, which means that they already know how to do the job so there is very less scope of learning and I feel that learning must never stop, so my first hack would be Hiring for potential and not proficiency, buy low sell high. Second would be to check the job description before hiring, you might be hiring someone for the job which is already being done by someone else, so hire for something new and innovative. Third hack is to be willing to hire unconventionally, one of the things we often overlook is that sometimes we need to hire people who had been working but for family or children might have left, so when they want to get back to professional life, they have already exceled in the leadership and management even if they have slipped of technicalities a bit, but that’s not very hard to catch up.
Q. What kind of disruption is the next big thing in hiring and Talent Acquisition?
I would like to think that the next big thing in hiring and talent acquisition is some of the ideas that I just presented to you that understanding and recognition that we all are on a learning curve. To build a team and what the team leader looks like and we talk about diversity in gender, culture, skills and optimise the people on the curve of learning. And segregate them as of who is on the lower end of the curve, who is in the process of learning and who are on the high end of the curve and then build a team around them and by this you will have people engaged continually and because they’re engaged they are innovating and because they are innovating the organisation is innovating. So the next big thing would be the understanding of learning curves and optimizing the learning curves.
Q. Walk us through your latest book?
My latest book is built on a premise, a few years ago I wrote this book ‘Disrupt yourself’, so after I left wall street I learnt about disruption, silly little thing that takes over the world, like Flipkart disrupts Walmart and I had this big insight while working that this theory of disruption also applies to us, the people, so I wrote this book Disrupt yourself, this book will give you an idea of when is the time to disrupt yourself and 7 point frame do it successfully. And this book is not only for the employees but also for the managers that disruption is not only about leaving the organisation but it also about creating an ecosystem where people can learn late than repeat and also for you as a company to try to innovate. So this book outlines ‘what’s the learning curve, how do you hire based on this human resources strategy, how do you manage people along with the curve.’
Q. What is your advice to new mothers who are also a diehard professional at heart?
The first thing I would say that, the biggest personal disruption you undertake is having a child. And I would say that it is important to recognise that it is a gift and a privilege is to be a mother. And I think that’s something for me. I wanted to have children but I found myself figuring out how to have children and fit it in to my professional life. And I remember that after my first child I felt like it was so easy like it was a job but then later I realised that it was not a job, so the first thing I want to tell new mothers who’re concerned about their career is that be absolutely grateful that you have the privilege to be a parent. Second very important thing is that you’re going to have to make choices and those choices are going to be different for every single person for some women they might want a career before they have a child but not so after they do and that’s okay, or vice versa, so recognise your choices, the fact that you care about your career or care about being a mother or both and to figure out how you’re going to do it, but do the best you can. Marry well so you both can make inputs for the choices to be made.
Q.How should leaders be thinking about talent development both for themselves and their teams?
So the first thing you want to do when you hire someone is to know that you’re not hiring them forever and they are not your one true employee because they’re on a learning curve. Which is basically the life cycle of an employee because for an employee there is going to be a time when they start to learn. When they know what exactly they’re doing and a time when they’ll get bored and so as a manager if you can have that conversation with the employees about your expectations and you’re willing to help them move forward and retain the talent and interest in the work.
Q.Success comes with a lot of hard work and a little luck, how would you describe your journey from a girl with degree in music to a successful entrepreneur
A lot of disruption, one thing I want to say is that sometimes we expect that we’re going to achieve what we’re going to achieve really fast in life, but like me, I’m a late bloomer. I studied music but didn’t really graduate from school because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I studied music, I went for a mission for my church, and I didn’t have the sense of direction and then I started to work in the wall street as a secretory because that is the only job I could get with my experience. And I didn’t have the right degree and I didn’t have the right chromosomes, but eventually I started liking the work and I was really excited to do whatever I was doing back then. My career wasn’t strategic but it was opportunistic. Later I moved into investment banking but then the banks acquired, my boss got fired and I get pushed off the learning curve. But for me it was a sling shot, I start from the bottom of the curve develop skills, get to the top and become a successful investment banker and now I get to choose the disruption. And I felt like I hit the glass ceiling tried different business, moved on and eventually started working with my partner Clayton Christensen , started all over again and now I’m into consulting, I have my podcasts and I like what I do.
