Building Talent Pipelines: Hiring for Drive and Potential
Timothy Chester shares a personal story from launching Texas A&M's Doha campus, emphasizing the importance of hiring for drive and potential over just skills. He discusses how investing in people with the right competencies can build stronger teams and better talent pipelines.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Timothy Chester
Twenty-two years ago, I was part of the team launching Texas A and M’s branch campus in Doha, Qatar. We had a small core of IT staff from the US, but the rest needed to be hired locally. My managers were struggling to find people with the right qualifications and they kept asking to hire more expatriates.
Timothy Chester
It didn’t sit right with me. After all, I was where I was because someone had once taken a chance on me. I didn’t have the right skills or experience, but I had drive and motivation, and that was enough. I told the team we needed to take the same chance on others.
Timothy Chester
I picked up the first resume in the stack and said, “Lets interview this person.” Today that person still works at the campus. He had the drive, the initiative, the willingness to learn, and the humility to grow with the team. He’s been promoted more times than you can count on your hand.
Timothy Chester
Every time I’ve hired for competencies like that, it has worked. Every time I’ve focused on skills and experience, my batting average has been lower. In today’s dispatch, we talk about how CIOs can build real talent pipelines and stop chasing the illusion of plug-and-play employees.