a·bil·i·ty
/əˈbilədē/
noun
1. possession of the means or skill to do something.
2. talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area.
de·pend·a·bil·i·ty
/dəˌpendəˈbilədē/
noun
1. the quality of being trustworthy and reliable.
Throughout my career in hospitality HR, attendance was the #1 cause of progressive discipline and reason for termination. Given that, most hospitality managers would agree with today’s quote. Because an employee’s performance – their talent, skill, or proficiency, is either enhanced or diminished by how trustworthy and reliable they are. So, while it’s good to assess a candidate’s skills and abilities during an interview process, it’s equally, if not more, important to assess their attitude – like optimism, flexibility, and resilience. The ones that predict whether they are trustworthy and reliable. Whether they’ll come to work and diligently approach their duties and responsibilities every day. That, I suggest, is possibly more important that if they can perform as expected. Why? Because you can’t teach attitude – people either have it or they don’t. If they do, you can teach and coach what’s needed technically. If they don’t, you’re apt to be disappointed. You’ve just got to learn what to ask and look for. That’s what I did for the more than 125,000 employees we hired during my tenure and it’s one of the main reasons our annualized turnover was under 10%. I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: hire for attitude and train for skills today.[1]
Robert Anson Heinlein (1907 – 1988): American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer.