2.The Theory Behind Life Themes

With good reason. The cooks and housekeepers on oil rigs are not likely to be confused with Jacques at the Ritz or Maria at the Four Seasons. They log rugged shifts: two weeks on, one week off. The nature of the work and the difficult conditions go a long way toward defining the people who hold these jobs. According to one observer, the work force included "drying-out alcoholics, ex-cons, and the homeless." Turnover ran to 300%; many workers would do their two-week stint on a rig, pick up their pay, and never show up again.

The company's goal was to cut down on turnover and upgrade performance quality. The first step, as always, was to prepare a model based on the best performers. The Gallup project manager says even the best performers left a lot to be desired - at least at first glance. "They were a mess," he remembers. "I thought, 'If these are the best the company has, we may be in trouble.'" After interviewing just one person, however, he changed his opinion. "I was talking to a housekeeper. He talked about how he liked to make the rooms really clean because it was the only place the rig employees could go that was clean, and how important it was to them." The housekeeper had a sense of order and a sense of empathy - as a result, he was happy to put extra muscle into mundane tasks like cleaning washbasins.

"The second person I interviewed was a cook," the project manager continues. "He talked about making gumbo, and how it was important to check the roster showing where the oil rig workers came from. Men from Alabama like their gumbo with okra, and men from Louisiana like their gumbo without."

After interviewing the best housekeepers and cooks, Gallup produced a model that identified their most important life themes. The list included some fairly obvious attributes: pride and a sense of being the best at whatever they do; teamwork and the ability to "make others feel at home on the rig"; discipline and the ability to manage their own lives as well as the food supplies or cleaning materials of the company. But there were also some surprising themes. For example, Gallup identified something it called "kinesthetic": high-energy individuals capable of handling the physical demands and long hours involved in working offshore. Another theme was "congruence": the ability not only to perform the job but also to accept the conditions of offshore life. Finally, as an important theme for people living in a small space, Gallup identified "accommodation": the ability to smooth out difficult situations and to avoid getting caught up in negative thinking. The company adopted Gallup's model and reduced turnover by two-thirds.

• 1.How to Hire by wire
• 2.The Theory Behind Life Themes
• 3.The Art and Science of Evaluation
• 4.Stryker Makes It Work
• 5.Hiring with a Power Tool