THE GATEKEEPER

From the moment he began using the disciplines on his yellow sheet, Rich was continually narrowing the scope of his responsibilities to a core set of activities. One of the areas that he most adamantly insisted on being involved in, and which had a profound connection to each of the four disciplines, was the hiring of new employees.

More than a third of Rich’s fifty-five-hour workweeks (fifty was just not realistic for him) was spent interviewing potential hires. Initially he insisted on seeing every candidate who cleared the first round of interviews. As the company grew, he limited himself to senior managers and partners. Even this proved to be a strain, but one that Rich gladly endured.

In addition to the time he dedicated to interviews, every other Monday morning he spent two full hours with new hires, welcoming them to the company and orienting them to the Telegraph way of life. He then spent another couple of hours with current employees, listening to their ideas and concerns.

At least once a year, Rich’s guardian-like executive assistant, Karen, pleaded with him to cut back on both of these activities so he could enjoy a more manageable schedule. But he wouldn’t hear of it. Other than running his weekly staff meetings, Rich felt that his involvement in hiring and orientation was one of his most important roles.

As a result of Rich’s diligence and focus, the company rarely made bad hires, at least not at a senior level. His team strongly believed that this was one of the reasons Telegraph had become a great company.

But even great companies make mistakes.