There is a valuable lesson managers can learn about recruiting from professional sports. In professional sports, each change in a team's line-up makes headlines. Fans speculate how their team will fare with the loss of one player or the addition of another. And for coaches, every change in the line-up is critical, their jobs frequently hanging in the balance. Each pick, therefore, is based upon a careful, strategic, selection process. Moreover, the selection process often begins long before an actual change. It's the sports world's s approach to succession planning.

The same dynamics should hold true for hiring members of the organization's team. Yet too few managers rank themselves high in selection or interviewing skills. Fewer still are trained in the skills needed for adequate succession planning. Many managers, in fact, go to inordinate lengths to retain mediocre employees rather than face making changes. And some readily acknowledge that the person most likely to get a job is not the best person for the job, but the person best skilled in job hunting techniques. What's a manager to do? Learn from the "pros".

Every day during the year, a professional coach has to re-assess his team's ability to win. Every game is a performance test. When was the last time you evaluated your team in light or your company's goals. What changes do you face? If you know you are going to lose a key player, or if a key player is not performing, what will your team look like without him/her? What hidden strengths and/or weaknesses will emerge with that player out of the game? What political implications exist that might also limit team performance? Write down a listing of all the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining players. What gaps need to be filled for your team to go on to greater victories?

Break your list of strengths and weaknesses down into those that MUST be satisfied if the team is to achieve more. On a separate sheet, make a list of those remaining items you would LIKE to acquire or avoid. Your MUST list defines the skills MANDATORY in any serious job applicant. When you interview serious contenders, (serious contenders are the only people you should even consider interviewing) evaluate their competence in each MUST category. In addition, see how many of your LIKE items you can satisfy as well. As you move along in the selection process, make sure to interview the most likely candidates more than once. Introduce him/her to the other team members and get feedback from them. Evaluate the candidate's enthusiasm for the job and your company. Given a choice between slightly stronger qualifications or a contagious enthusiasm, go for the enthusiasm. (The 'art' of most jobs can be learned, a will to win, however, is often hard to find, produces extraordinary results and should be encouraged.) Check all references rigorously. If the candidate is internal, evaluate his/her past history, internal sponsors and internal "talk" about the candidate. Make sure you provide for an adequate probationary period, even for the internal candidate.

When you hire, indoctrinate the new team member warmly and well. Make the person feel that s/he is now a part of your team ' a team designed for winning. Getting off to a good start, as any coach will tell you, makes for a potentially winning season.