WILL THEY DO THE JOB? NONO TION TTION T ACCORDING TO BOTH US AND GLOBAL GALLUP POLLS, ABOUT 70% OF WORKERS ARE NOT ENGAGED AT WORK. A recent Deloitte Insights study also showed that over 87% of America’s workforce is ALENT AALENT A not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Founders may think that data - which includes American manufacturers in the rust belt SS - might not apply to the realities of a fast moving startup because there is more scope for SESSES ‘natural’ motivation and ambition in fast moving, exciting startups. SMENTSMENT But the data does speak to a truth about human psychology and therefore the importance of gauging (and later nurturing) motivation, ambition and potential when hiring for any people. In his book Alive at Work , Organisational Behaviour Professor Dan Cable of London Business School, notes that activating people’s seeking system makes them more motivated, ambitious and engaged at work. So, how can founders gauge whether their candidates have high levels of intrinsic motivation, and the ability to be engaged? YOU NEED TO ASSESS THE CANDIDATE’S DRIVERS OF MOTIVATION AND AMBITION It is difficult to test for motivation and ambition so this has to be uncovered using questions. Most companies and founders value different drivers and sources of ambition and motivation. Do you want them to be driven by a chip on their shoulder? Or perhaps a desire for a better world? Make sure you include specifics in your answer guide, because it is fairly easy to score things like whether the answer is credible or passionate or not. First ask theoretical questions and then ensure you get examples of how their ambition and motivation has affected their actions and execution. 8484