Hiring Tips: Looking for those who are “Learning Agile”

One of the best hiring tips I’ve heard in a while came from a mentor of mine, who has spent some 15 years in executive search focused on startup recruitment for technology companies. His advice was to look for candidates who are Learning Agile. Why should you look for Learning Agile candidates for your expansion stage company?

People who are considered Learning Agile do at least four things well:

1. They are critical thinkers who examine problems carefully and make fresh connections
2. They know themselves better and are able to handle tough situations
3. They like to experiment with new approaches and ideas and can deal with the discomfort of change
4. They deliver results in first-time situations through team building and personal driveThere are also four learning agility factors to keep in mind:

1. Mental Agility – Describes people who think through problems from a fresh point of view and are comfortable with complexity, ambiguity and explaining their thinking to others.
2. People Agility – Describes people who know themselves well, learn from experience, treat others constructively, and are cool and resilient under the pressure of change.
3. Change Agility – Describes people who are curious, have a passion for ideas, like to experiment with test cases, and engage in skill building activities.
4. Results Agility – Describes people who get results under tough conditions, inspire others to perform beyond normal, and exhibit the sort of presence that builds confidence in others.

High potentials aren’t perfect, however! Some downsides of the highly learning agile are that they are often perfectionists and independent, are not particularly people-oriented, can’t stop tinkering and pushing, or they cause noise. Despite these possible impediments to their success, a highly learning agile person’s saving grace is their self knowledge. Learning agile employees rate themselves lower, are very self-critical, possess no notable flaws, and are highly self confident.

Now that I have a greater understanding of learning agility, it is something I will certainly attempt to evaluate when conducting interviews. Do you evaluate learning agility during your hiring process?