Here are 3 things I learned about "right" people that you should know. 

Bad hires make you poorer and cause headaches.

1. If you want to know if someone has the drive and stamina for long-term success in a particular career, the first place to look is their personal motivators. I can measure a package of over 100 personal strengths, motivators, skills, and talents, but the motivators are the most telling for success over the long haul in any job or career. Motivated people stick. For example, a study shows 70% of top salespeople in the US and Germany have Utilitarian (they are motivated by financial success) as their top driver. Most of the other 30% have Social (they are motivated by a desire to help others) as their top driver with a strong Utilitarian behind it. When choosing sales talent that will prosper, look at Utilitarian scores. High Utilitarian is a green light. Low Utilitarian is a red flag. Note: A link between motivators and long-term success is also obvious in other jobs besides sales.

2. Nowadays, many jobs require doing more in less time. If you want to see if a candidate for operations manager, executive assistant or any other fast-paced position is capable of multi-tasking, look at the "S" score on the DISC Behavioral Profile. The higher the S score, the harder it is for the person to juggle multiple priorities. However, low S people are not only adept at multi-tasking, I've found those with exceptionally low scores thrive on the mental rush of having multiple things to do and will actually seek more assignments to add to their plates if things slow down. That might make you worry that low S's will get in over their heads, but the opposite is true -- it's the high S's you have to worry about getting overwhelmed by work loads. 

3. Can you actually spot a diamond in the rough? Yes. Everyone naturally has personal strengths, talents, and skills. The Personal Talents and Skills Inventory accurately measures ability in 68 specific areas -- even untapped areas. For example, earlier today I spoke with a client wanting to promote "Becky" from customer service rep to a managerial position. The client wanted to know if she had the right stuff. Turns out Becky has natural ability but needs management/leadership training to blossom. She scored well above average on Proactive Thinking, Realistic Goal Setting for Others, Understanding Motivational Needs, Correcting Others, Long Range Planning, and other keys to successful management -- even though she has never had a management level job or training. The way Becky is naturally wired, she will take to management like a duck to water.