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.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.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.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.

Episodes

Building Talent Pipelines: Hiring for Drive and Potential