The Best Interview Question Ever for Finding Great Employees

I love all these bestselling books by the CEOs of multimillion-dollar companies. I’ve read a bunch of them and when it comes to people, they all have the same advice: “Hire great people.”

Okay, that’s good, sage advice; let me write that down…

There’s only one problem: They really don’t tell you how to do it, especially if you are not paying six-figure salaries, with rock-star stock options, and cradle-to-grave health benefits. Plus, if they make a hiring mistake, whoever hears about it? The mistake is easily lost in the thousands of people they employ. No one good or bad employee is going to make all that much difference to a Trump, Virgin, or GE organization, but to your business, it could be critical.

Here’s the best question you will ever ask in an interview:

What were the last three books you read or listened to?

Or be more specific based on the job:

What was the last book you read on marketing or management?

The majority of the time that simple question will be met with an embarrassed silence. Some shuffling, some mumbling, and then perhaps the title of one or two pulp fiction books! Hardly ever will someone astonish you by reeling off a list of sales, marketing, management, and…