Always Hire for The Thin Mints

As a manager or organizational leader, you always want to target two groups for employment into your organization.  The first are the former Boy Scouts.  If you can get an Eagle Scout, take the Eagle Scout.  If you have an engineering or manufacturing department, the Boy Scout employee gives you the individual with a foundation in preparation and discipline.  They do their homework and are persistent.  Planning, looking at the competitive terrain, exploring for alternatives, thinking long-term - - these are the attributes a Boy Scout will bring to your organization.  Finally, you gain the employee with a strong moral compass.  Honestly, loyally, trust, kindness - - we all want to work around people like this.

The Boy Scouts will give you stability, but the Girl Scouts can give you growth and a world class competitive advantage.  They give you what you get from a Boy Scout, with an important exception.  The Girl Scouts will turn good into great.  Boy Scouts give you preparation - but the Girl Scouts will give you the pitch.  This is group that sold $785 million worth annually of Thin Mints, Samoas, and all the others that I just ordered.  Next time you are at the store and see them selling just outside, remember that you need employees that get money, people, and life.  These girls get that.  They get the importance of the pitch.  They act like they love the pitch.  This is the hard work of hand-to-hand selling - - the perfect laboratory for teaching young people about money and commerce.  You end up with little girls becoming impressive corporate executives that have greater social skills, greater confidence (survival in the wilderness is one thing - pitching to a complete stranger is a true survival skill), greater persistence, and a true belief in the goodness of an important endeavor.

As the president of your firm or the department manager, you need to hire for preparation.  The Boy Scouts will always give you preparation.  But preparation will only get you so far.  You also need the pitch - and the Girl Scouts are the global masters of teaching the pitch.

Please hire for the Thin Mints.