How Steve Jobs Hired and Retained His Top Employees

One great employee can change the entire business.

In a 1998 interview, he talked about something.

The range of what an average person could do and what the best person could do was 50 to 1 You should go after the cream of the cream. A team of A players can run circles around a team of B and C players.

Steve Jobs isn't the only one. The value of A-players was emphasized by the author after interviewing more than 20 billionaires.

A player is defined as one who has at least a 90 percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates can achieve.

20 percent of your people will produce 80 percent of your results. My A- players get more five-star reviews, close more jobs, and charge more because they believe in the product and company.

When most industries are disrupted, a-players are crucial. There are a lot of people in my industry. They are coming in huge time. You are screwed sooner or later if you don't have a team of A- players.

How can you find the best people to work for you? This is what I recommend.

An employee is worth six to nine months of their salary if they are hired the right way. You can lose up to $45,000 if you let your employee go.

Make sure you know what the ideal employee is. You have to figure this out before you hire. Do you have any questions to ask to define your A-playeravatar?

• What are they like? Where do they hang out? (This helps you run ads to target them.)
• What are they motivated by? (Everyone's different: Some people might want PTO. Some people might want to go out of town regularly. Make a list of common motivations.)
• And, most important, what makes them great? Who's the perfect employee for your business?  

When we had to hire people, I didn't like them very much. There aren't good people out there. Finding great people isn't just putting an ad up, it's not waiting for them to come to you. In order to get them, recruiting is going outside.

Is it possible to build a baseball or football team by just having people show up for a scrimmage? Is it a good idea to go out and get them? Is there a better way to work?

People who are recruited are the best. Over half of your hires should be amazing people you hire away from other companies.

How do you get that done? Ask customers if they know anyone who might be a good fit. Ask your best workers.

One of the biggest things that keeps a player motivated is the desire to work with other A- players. What's the reason? Steve Jobs said something.

When you get enough A-players together, they enjoy working with each other. They have never been able to do that before.

If you want your best employees to work for you, turn them into recruiters. Allow A-players to recruit other players. I will give you a thousand dollars if you use our job portal. If you can afford it, give it to your workers. Give them an assignment and time to complete it. When an A-player comes to us, we give our employees a bonus.

Think about ways to get people with jobs. They already have good jobs if they are that good. If you can get them to join your company, that will be great. Let them know what it is like to be part of your vision.

A-players need to work in a team environment regardless of their talent. It will make things less fun and productive if they can't fit in. I always ask myself if I would like to have a beer with this person, and if I enjoyed their company.

Getting people out of the interview is the most important thing we do. That is important to me. People are prepared when they arrive for the interview. They have answered questions before. They have a personality. It looks like they are on stage. I like getting them out of their comfort zones and spending time with them outside.

I would take them out to eat, ride with them, or just hang out with them. I would want to know what you did last summer that stood out, and when you last accomplished something. There is no correct or incorrect answer. If you can get them to talk about an experience, you can get them to show you their real personality.

You need to recruit all the time. It isn't just a one-time thing that you do. I wrote about it in a previous article.

When you need someone, you have to hire them. Part time is not enough to do it. You need more than that to find great employees.

I have a hat on all the time. If I see a person working hard and smiling, I give them my card and say, "If you're looking for a great career, with paid time off and insurance, call me." I do this a lot.