Topgrading

DETAILS : 

• Author : Bradford D. Smart Ph.D.
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 16 August 2012
  
• Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised, Updated
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1591845262 
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591845263 
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 650 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People is widely considered the "gold standard" for recruitment and talent management. Dr. Bradford Smart introduces a rigorous, systematic methodology designed to help organizations achieve a 90% success rate in hiring—a stark contrast to the typical 25% to 50% success rate found in most industries.

The core of the book revolves around identifying and hiring "A Players" (the top 10% of talent available for a specific role and salary). Key components of the Topgrading process include:

• The Topgrading Interview: A chronological, in-depth "walkthrough" of a candidate's entire career to identify patterns of behavior and performance.
• The CABC (Candidate Accomplishments, Blindspots, and Characteristics): A tool for deep behavioral analysis.
• Reference Checks: A unique approach where candidates are required to arrange interviews with their former managers (the "Tandem" approach), which virtually eliminates "resume padding."
• The Job Scorecard: Moving beyond vague job descriptions to define clear, measurable outcomes that the new hire must achieve.

The book is not just about hiring; it provides a framework for coaching "B Players" into "A Players" and making the tough decisions required to remove "C Players" who drain organizational energy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Bradford D. Smart is an internationally recognized psychologist and the world’s foremost expert on hiring and talent management. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he has consulted for some of the world's most successful organizations, including General Electric (under Jack Welch), Honeywell, and Barclays.

Dr. Smart is the founder and CEO of Topgrading, Inc. His methodology was famously popularized during the Jack Welch era at GE, where it became a cornerstone of the company’s legendary leadership development program. He is known for his direct, data-driven approach to human resources, arguing that the single biggest cost to any business is a "mis-hire." He has authored several books and workbooks that have transformed how thousands of managers approach the hiring process.