Recruiting for Innovators? Hire Angry People!

From ERE Net by Dr. John Sullivan Feb 1, 2010, 5:48 am ET

We
are looking for professionals who are unhappy/angry with the status
quo, and who are willing to confront barriers and "find a way" to help
us lead our industry. If you've got passion for your profession,
well-thought-out ideas about a better way, and are angry with
antiquated approaches that no longer work, submit your anger statement
to our career website at www.getthehelloutofmyway.com. -Fictitious website

This might sound like an outrageous idea on the surface, but I'm
recommending that as part of your recruiting strategy you target hiring
"angry people."

I'm not talking about grumpy people who kick puppy dogs or scream at
slow changing traffic lights, but rather people with "professional
anger." Recruiting professionals who are angry with "the way things are
currently done" and who have a track record of overcoming resistance
and making quantum improvements can help your organization break free
from the status quo and innovate.

It's About More than Passion

Many firms already target passionate people who love their work, but
passion by itself doesn't always breed discontent for things that are
no longer working as they should. Individuals who are professionally
angry are often not only passionate, but also possess a relentless
drive to innovate around practices and approaches that no longer
accomplish what the organization needs done. They differ from rebels
who often resist authority, and have a track record of successfully
overcoming resistance to change and barriers to execution. If they can
be faulted for anything, it's that they are often unhappy even when
they succeed because they are relentless about doing things better.
While sometimes difficult to deal with, organizations should stop
trying to change or fix such individuals and instead consider them as
corporate assets and celebrate how they drive innovation.

Examples of Angry Leaders

There are many notable angry people in the business world, including:

• Steve Jobs, who gets angry over mediocre products.


• Jack Welch, who built a great company in part based on his anger towards bureaucracy and boundary builders.


• James Dyson, who was so angry at his own vacuum cleaners design
  that he endured through more than 5,000 design revisions before he was
  satisfied with it.


• Tiger Woods, who gets frustrated with himself whenever he lets the competition get to close.


• Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, who gets angry at mediocre customer service.


• Tom Peters, an angry strategy consultant frustrated with the slow
  rate of change in management. Incidentally, Tom is by far the strongest
  and most vocal advocate for hiring and retaining angry people. He
  recommends that you seek out leaders who are "Angry people! [angry with
  the status quo]."

The Benefits of Hiring Angry People

There are many reasons why you should hire, retain, and listen to
angry people. While generalizations are just that, for the most part
professionally angry people are:

• Self-motivated - they don't need a lot of pep
  talks in order to get excited. They are perpetually excited about
  winning, and then winning again.


• Frank talkers - there's little hesitation when
  they see something wrong and they won't pull punches or lie to you. If
  you want direct "Simon Cowell" type feedback, they deliver.


• Relentless about searching for answers - even if
  they don't devise innovations needed on their own, their drive leads
  them to seek out solutions from others wherever they may reside.


• Driven to best the competition - they are not
  satisfied with merely meeting goals or being the best within the firm;
  they focus on developing solutions that are superior to every other
  firm in the industry.


• Able to overcome barriers - while many may be
  tolerant of delays and roadblocks, these individuals expect to push
  through these barriers. Their approach can be characterized as "we must
  get this done, we must find a way."


• Able to learn from mistakes - angry people are
  most always risk-takers, so they invariably make mistakes. Fortunately,
  they don't let their mistakes slow them down, and they learn rapidly
  from each error.


• Undervalued - angry professionals may be
  periodically unemployed as a result of their frustration with managers
  or vice versa. However, most are employed but relatively easy to
  recruit away because so many managers either under-appreciate their
  value or tire of having to tell them to be patient. Tony Fadell, the
  science engineer behind the iPod, is an excellent example. Unable to
  garner funding to build a hard-disc based music player on his own, Tony
  joined Real Networks only to leave for Apple weeks later.

Angry People Are Easy to Find

In most cases, individuals with professional anger are easy to find.
Of course these individuals don't list anger on their resume, but you
can find them through a variety of traditional and nontraditional
recruiting channels, including:

• Employee referrals - your employees probably
  already know individuals with professional anger and will identify them
  for you if encouraged to do. Make courting such individuals a high
  priority in your referral
  program and clearly describe what characteristics you're looking for
  (i.e. a vocal proponent, a track record of pushing through barriers,
  someone who is not totally satisfied after achieving success, someone
  who's never complacent, and an outside-the-box thinker with extremely
  high expectations, etc.)


• Ask your own angry people - go directly to your
  own angry employees and ask them where you would find other people like
  them. Ask them what they read and watch, where they can be found on the
  Internet, and what events both social and professional they frequent.
  Then ask them to be an "angry professional talent scout."


• Social networks - encourage your own angry
  employees to make it quite visible on their social network profiles
  that they are angry professionals. Encourage them to form network
  groups that angry professionals can join, and leverage network contacts
  to attract these individuals.


• Forums and chat rooms - if you post a problem or
  situation on a professional forum or chat site highlighting your deep
  frustration, you can be assured that others with a similar frustration
  level will comment.


• Blogs - many angry professionals find the need to
  vent their anger and a significant number of them do that venting
  through blog postings. Have your recruiters and employees let you know
  whenever they read an angry blog covering your industry or functional
  area.


• Vendors - ask your vendors and consultants who
  frequently visit other firms to provide you with names. Also ask temps
  who are working for you (but who have also worked in other firms) to
  supply you with names.


• Corporate alumni - encourage those in your alumni network (former employees) to be on the lookout for the best angry professionals.


• Videos - YouTube videos containing impassioned comments or even rants will often garner responses from similar-thinking individuals.


• Speakers and writers - encourage your employees to
  let you know whenever they encounter a column or a speech from an angry
  professional in the functional area where you're recruiting.


• Assessing them during the interview - it will take
  some well-scripted probing questions to get references to reveal that
  an individual is professionally angry. You should also ask candidates
  during the interview "what professional situations have made them
  angry?" Another option during the interview is to give them a verbal
  simulation that covers situations where they might become frustrated
  and ask them, "what steps they would take to overcome the barriers?"


• Where you won't find them - their awareness of the
  high likelihood of a slow or no response as a result of applying online
  via your website almost guarantees that they will avoid it. They might
  have a similar level of suspicion about large job boards and career
  events.

Potential Issues to Be Aware of

There are obviously risks associated with hiring and managing angry
professionals, but if you target the right ones, you'll find that they
have an extremely positive ROI. Obviously, during the candidate
assessment process you need to make sure that their anger is restricted
to professional issues and that they can reasonably control their
anger. You should also make sure that they have the capability of
working through barriers and those resistant to change while not
causing total chaos. Finally, after they are hired, they need to be
placed with a manager and a team that knows how to effectively harness
and direct professional anger.

Final Thoughts

I should come clean with the fact that I love working with angry
people because in part, I am myself an angry person. I admit it and I'm
proud of it. I am angry at people who change at the "speed of rock." I
am angry at people who "whine" and try to instantly sabotage new ideas
with phrases like "we tried that and it didn't work" or "that will
never work because ... blah blah."

I'm not against also hiring "Ned Flanders,"
librarians, and accountants in addition to complacent "vanilla" people,
but there is a need for a small percentage of employees who foster and
drive innovation. Yes, they may be pushy and less tolerant, but their
high expectations and relentless demand for excellence are an absolute
requirement if you want to dominate your industry. If you yourself want
to become an angry professional, never be satisfied, believe that you
can overcome the impossible, and continually push for faster, cheaper,
and better in everything you do!