A630.9.4.RB: Hiring and Recruiting

• Does Schmidt's description of the Google Culture make sense to you?
  Overall it makes sense to me; however, I did get the impression that he feels it doesn't really matter if the newly hired employees get along with their co-workers. He uses the example of Benchmark Capital of what they do not do. I have heard a lot about the Google culture and researched it for other courses; the culture at Google is referred to as being Googly, with minimal interference from managers and a bottom-up approach to leadership (Anonymous, 2013). 
• Is this a reasonable way to view the work that most people are doing in your workplace?
  I definitely got the impression that Schmidt wanted to empower employees to do work independently and seek help only when needed. I think this works with the right employees; however, some positions I think still often need frequent supervision and monitoring.
• As a leader, does it take courage to have and to implement this point of view?
  It definitely takes courage to implement this point of view, because in a way you are removing some of your own role as a leader by empowering employees to do things on their own without you. I think it takes a confident leader to be willing and able to do this, and do it effectively by knowing when it is appropriate to step in and handle an issue.
• Could this approach backfire?
  I could see a couple of ways this approach could backfire. First, in a way a leader  could work himself or herself out of a job if their leadership is no longer needed. Secondly, if you are not hiring the right people who will work well independently, it may be too late before you can recognize there is an issue and address it.
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?
  I found his conversation regarding the appropriate number of interviews a candidate should have before making a hiring decision very interesting. 5 interviews seems high to me, at least with regards to how we do interviewing at my workplace. However, I think his argument could help support the fact that a hiring committee would be more beneficial, and even to set up smaller individual interviews among the hiring committee rather than one or two larger interviews.

Reference
Anonymous. (2013). Google grows on people: Bottom‐up leadership and minimalist management inspire innovation. Strategic Direction(29) 9, 16 - 18.