What Makes an Achiever?

J.D. Meier asked me:

Do you see a pattern where some are “achievers” and some are not?
Achievers tend to produce, but just need coaching.
Some people (Non-achievers or whatever to call them), seem to need more than coaching -- it’s more like a bad fit for a job that produces results along the way.

That got me to thinking:

1. How can you tell when hiring someone that they will achieve the results you are looking for?
2. How can you tell when someone on your team is worth investing in and when you need to look for a replacement?

When interviewing I test for aptitude, attitude, knowledge and experience and I usually hire with pretty good results. There are times, however, when someone will slip through that interviewed very well but doesn't do well on the job. My conversation with JD reminded me of this problem and got me to thinking about what I could do to improve my interview 'hit' rate.

I think the best indicator of an achiever is where they focus their energy. Do they focus on process? Do they focus on theory? Or do they focus on results. If they don't focus on results they will not ever get those results. You get what you focus on. A lot of it has to do with how you are wired - what makes you excited? Some people truly get excited over theory. They make good scientists. Others get excited about results. They make good engineers!