Table of Contents
Praise for How to Hire A-Players
The definitive book on talent acquisition, How To Hire A-Players pulls no punches. From the get-go, Eric Herrenkohl strongly recommends that organizations stop trying to turn poor performers into top performers. The goal is to commit more time to finding and hiring the best talent. This initiative begins by recruiting the team you need rather than settling for the team you have. In a well-written masterpiece, Eric emphatically concludes that what organizations need is a perfect storm: hire individuals with terrific communication skills, great project management skills, detail orientation, intelligence, and responsibility. This kind of talent will create shock value for an organization. Organizations are very much like most living organisms, they are likely to expire quickly if the vital organs are not taken care of. This book offers precise, almost surgical, advice on how to ensure that the vital organs of any organization, its people, are the strongest possible. These valuable assets will enable its existence and assure that it continually thrives.
This book is full of anecdotes that truly reflect the importance of due diligence in finding and retaining A-players. This is an important read that will pay huge dividends for your organization. I believe it is the definitive book on talent acquisition in recent memory and a cogent blueprint for all organizations.
Benjamin Ola Akande, PhD
Dean, School of Business and Technology
Webster University
This is a book about business and how recruiting relates to winning. Eric has brought to life how hiring A-players can make you an A-player as a leader or business owner. His system is simple to understand and natural to utilize. With it, you have an immediate leg up on the competition.
Chris Burkhard
President
CBI Group
Consistently hiring A-players takes a lot more than just a good job description. You have to have a system for finding, hiring, and keeping great people, and Eric Herrenkohls process sets the foundation for hiring only the best candidates.
Diane Butrus
Chief Operating Officer
Bronx/Diba/Luichiny Shoes
As an information technology executive in the food services industry, I am convinced that A-Players are critical to compete and to deliver high quality outcomes to our clients. Eric Herrenkohl has managed to create a cook book for creating A-player teams. This book offers a step-by-step recipes-style approach that helps non-HR leaders create high performing teams, while encouraging improvement through clarity of roles throughout the entire organization.
Lawrence Dillon
VP/CIO
ARAMARK Healthcare
Herrenkohl provides an entertaining and comprehensive approach to building the backbone of every company. Through real life stories, Herrenkohl masterfully uncovers the approach and the mind-set required to deliver sustainable performance improvements in your organization through recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent. Integrate this advice into your management systems and unleash the true potential of your business!
Al DIorio
Chief Financial Officer
Swiss Farms Stores Acquisition, LLC
Building successful start-ups is all about winning the war for A talent. The concept is simple. A players attract other A players while B players attract C players. Youd be well advised to put into practice Erics philosophy and approach on attracting A talent which mirrors many of the practices I have seen work in the leading Silicon Valley companies.
Jason Green
General Partner
Emergence Capital
Great stuffespecially right now. This is not just another fluff business book telling us what we already know but cant execute. Eric has pulled together a comprehensive, practical but more importantly implementable process that every CEO or owner of a growing business should use. If youre interested in not just growing, but growing smartly and profitably, and building a fabulous team that will get you there, Erics book is a must-read.
Cheryl Beth Kuchler
Founder and Managing Principal
CEO Think Tank
Before I started my business, a businessman I greatly respect counseled me that I would never be able to attract A-players. It made sense to him because third-tier subcontractors dont usually attract the best and the brightest. Yet working with Eric and his principles, and believing in what we offer to the best people, has led to an entire team of A-players and more success than we could have imagined.
Rich Ledbetter
President
Castle Contracting
How to Hire A-Players is a must for anyone in the business world who is looking for a recruiting system which addresses the fundamental concepts of how to recognize and acquire top talent in the workforce. This practical how-to guide is for business leaders who are seeking high caliber players to take them to the next level.
Mark Neal
Managing Partner
Milhouse & Neal, LLP
Whether you lead a small team or large organization, you know that great teams consist of great people, but do you know how to find them? How to Hire A-Players shows you how to build your talent pipeline and recruit the A-players you need to deliver the results you want. Eric Herrenkohl delivers a straightforward and powerful message drawing on his experience coaching and consulting A-players. Hes nailed it.
Mark Peterman
Vice President, Performance Solutions
Staples Promotional Products
Under the hood of every company that has excelled and risen to dominate in its industry, you will find a team of A-players. How to Hire A-Players is a definitive and tactical arsenal of tools and strategies that a business needs to assemble and retain such a team and take itself to these levels.
Josh Peterson
Founder, Adteractive Active Entrepreneur,
Angel Investor, Start-up Advisor
Not only does Eric remind you that recruiting is an A-1 important function in your business, he has written a book that gives you the how to for building a team of A-players. Read this bookyou will learn how to build a successful organization.
Maryann Vitale
Managing Broker/Owner
Prudential Select Properties
Everyone talks talent, but very few know where to find it. Eric Herrenkohl has created the ultimate executive playbook for how to recruit and build the team you need. How to Hire A-Players is just like Erics coaching... comprehensive yet succinct, practical, and immediately actionable. I wish Id had this book five years ago.
Michael J. Weinberg
Senior Vice President, Sales
The Gabriel Group
To my parents, Roy Herrenkohl
and Ellen Herrenkohl
Thank you for loving your sons and
teaching us to love learning
Acknowledgments
A number of people have been of great help to me in writing this book. It would be impossible to thank everyone who has done so, but I would like to highlight a few folks for special commendation.
First of all, I wouldnt have anything to say if I didnt have the privilege of working with great clients who lead terrific businesses. I appreciate the chance to add value to your organizations and to get to know you in the process. Thank you for sharing your stories with my readerswe can all learn from your experiences.