Inside the Mind of Hiring with Dr. Mickey Fineberg

Dr. Mickey Fineberg
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*Step into the intricate world of hiring with Dr. Mickey in "Inside the Mind of Hiring." This show dives deep into the psychology and strategy behind one of the most critical decisions leaders face: choosing the right people. Dr. Mickey reveals the often-hidden traits that make individuals right fit—or a potential mismatch—for an organization, emphasizing the profound effects that hiring choices have on company culture, morale, and effectiveness.* In each episode, Dr. Mickey and expert guests uncover the full hiring journey, exploring both the bright and shadow sides of candidate evaluation. The show highlights a powerful process that often separates hiring success from failure: assessments. From personality and aptitude tests to the psychologist’s interview, these assessments provide insights that go beyond what’s captured in interviews, references, and resumes. They enable hiring managers to look past the sunlight of surface impressions and into a person’s illuminating shadows to truly understand what makes a candidate tick in terms of both strengths and potential red flags. With Dr. Mickey as the guide, the show examines how assessments help mitigate common hiring challenges: **Uncovering True Motivations**: Assessments reveal what drives candidates—factors that may not come across in a polished interview. A person’s motivations often align closely with their engagement and satisfaction in the role, making assessments a vital tool to predict long-term fit and potential impact on company morale. **Identifying Hidden Strengths and Weaknesses**: Some of the most important characteristics in a candidate are often invisible on paper or even in person. Assessments can reveal traits like resilience, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and work ethic, which directly affect team dynamics and job performance. **Reducing Bias**: Interviewer biases can subtly influence hiring decisions, whether they stem from personal preferences or subconscious assumptions. By introducing the psychological assessment factor into the hiring process, companies can add a more objective layer of evaluation, reducing the influence of superficial biases and focusing on the traits that truly predict success in the role. **Improving Hiring Accuracy**: Despite best efforts, traditional hiring methods often yield a success rate of only 40-60%. The cost of a poor hire is high—up to two times the base salary—due to onboarding, morale impacts, and productivity losses. Assessments increase hiring accuracy by adding data-driven insights, helping organizations make well-rounded decisions that align with their culture and values. But Dr. Mickey emphasizes that while assessments bring immense value, they’re just one piece of the puzzle. The best hiring outcomes combine the insights of assessments with human judgment, personal impressions, and team input to create a comprehensive understanding of each candidate. "Inside the Mind of Hiring" isn’t just about finding the right fit—it’s about cultivating teams that drive success, lift morale, and embody the company's vision. This show is a must-listen for hiring managers, HR professionals, and job seekers alike. By learning how to leverage assessments and avoid common pitfalls, leaders can make more informed and successful hiring decisions, while candidates gain insights into presenting their authentic selves. Join Dr. Mickey for a deep dive into hiring psychology and discover how to make smarter, more holistic hiring decisions that shape thriving teams and successful companies

  1. Sep 15

    Another Leadership Lullaby?

    Is USA basketball asleep at the switch, just like the WNBA seemed to be during the All Star game? Team USA  (represented by WNBA players) had a chance to show the world the quality of its team at the FIBA World Cup in Germany. At this juncture, the Us played 3 games against China, Italy, and Chechia. The coach Kara Lawson (coach at Duke) was emphasizing veterans in her starting line-up. While younger stars, including Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, are getting some playing time, the coach was still placing the spotlight on older and more experienced players, apparently due to their sophistication in international play and their reliability toward the end of games.    After the third game, I heard commentary from 5 knowledgeable sports commentators and podcasters: Three black men, one white fellow, and one white woman. They agreed strongly that Caitlan Clark, and possibly Paige Bueckers, should be starting at point guard ahead of veteran Chelsea Gray. While they described Chelsea as a good shooter who can bring stability and sophistication at crunch time, they viewed Caitlan and Paige as providing a quicker pace, creating more scoring opportunities, taking better advantage of open players, and as more versatile scorers. There were feelings that Kara Lawson, the coach, undervalues Caitlian’s play and potential contribution by describing her as a “young player who is feeling her way through.” This description is contrary to Caitlin’s record going into the tournament, and her actual tournament play, particularly in two of the three games. Paradoxically, after one game, Kara described Caitan as markedly picking up the pace and enabling the team to capture a big and lasting lead. (contrary to a young player feeling her way through)  In the game against Italy, there was criticism that 3 veteran players were freezing Caitlan out when they should have been feeding her the ball. These pundits all agreed that there should be a more optimal mix of veterans and younger bench players in the starting lineup to max scoring, sustain defensive pressure, and optimize excitement.

    Another Leadership Lullaby?

  2. Sep 1

    Meddlesome Mentoring of a Reluctant Successor

    I’ve had numerous experiences in my career as a business psychologist with multi-generational companies. Not too long ago, I encountered Dan,  a Gen Z, third generation family member who was contributing in a line-leadership job within the fulfillment operation for a regional bricks and mortar retailer who also has a significant on-line business. He currently manages 30 people. He is considered a potential successor to his father, the second-generation CEO, in 10 to 15 years. Prior to his present role, he worked in department and store management, and as a buyer for 6 years. Before joining the family business, he was employed by a major on-line retailer out of college for 4 years. His last job was distribution center manager supervising about 100 people. Dan is perceived as a nice guy and bright manager, and as developing a solid, well-rounded knowledge of the business. However, his performance is considered adequate at best, but not  impressive, and he appears to have gotten bored relatively quickly in his various placements. He has been quick to identify problems, but unwilling to suggest and implement solutions. He has put in the essential time, but not much more. His Dad, the CEO, is a successful entrepreneur in the way he has significantly grown the company. He is considered a good leader who effectively blends a results and humanistic focus. He regularly carves out time each month to mentor Dan. He views his son as a bit of an enigma, and is not sure Dan truly wants to be in the business. He has asked Dan often about what he wants to do, but doesn’t get a definitive answer.  As an heir, with another sibling in the financial department, Dan has participated in an equity sharing program beyond his salary and is viewed as wealthy enough not to work. Apparently, that arrangement cannot changed if he continues to work at the company. Dad engaged me to help him gain insight and a developmental strategy.

  3. Aug 18

    Can Leaders Be Smart Before They Get Stupid?

    A few of weeks ago we talked about Leaders sabotaging Leaders. Our program revolved around a manufacturing company where a new COO, John, was hired to help the President focus on shaping the business’ future and spend less time with day-to-day operations. The business had just gone through a major space increase, and significant upgrades in equipment and technology to meet customer demand and boost competitive advantage. The COO’s expectation is to sustain an efficient operation but also enable incremental vs major improvements. After about 2.5 months on the job, the President was sensing that John was having difficulty establishing credibility and influencing and connecting with his managers. I also noted that John, age 42, had good knowledge of manufacturing, but his experience was more focused fixing troubled operations than developing them over time

  4. Aug 17

    Encore: The 2026 Executive

    As a result of Covid and technology shifts, there are three major changes for executive hiring: 1.      Rise of Hybrid Leadership 2.      Stronger focus on Traits vs Tenure and Experience 3.      Growth in Shorter Term Leadership Models

  5. Aug 4

    A Leadership Lullaby

    This episode is a continuing commentary in our recent series on questionable leadership practices. In some cases, leaders may sleep at the switch so to speak, even when they have a great opportunity to capitalize on strong momentum. A recent example was the WNBA All-Star Week. As many of you know, the arrival of Caitlin Clark in 2024 brought a major increase in fan interest and game attendance, media coverage, and league and team revenues. Another new star, Paige Bueckers out of The Dallas Wings, has been complementing veterans with great play and likely adding strong value to the league as well. And then, she blew it. While Caitlin Clark was just named   The league’s recent All-Star game was a good opportunity to showcase its best players and further accelerate its good fortune. But it did not go that way.

  6. Jul 21

    Leadership Sabotaging Leadership: An Ounce of Prevention

    There are plenty of stories on how leadership can sabotage its own leaders. Some of these stories revolve around newly hired leaders who are having difficulty achieving credibility and influence with their new managers, and how a company’s senior execs or owners can make things worse and prompt unnecessary failures. Here is one such story involving yours truly where unintended sabotage will likely be prevented.

  7. Jul 7

    Blind Leaders; Their Self-Defeating Habits

    Blind leaders can create cultures that drive out top performers through bad attitudes and practices, and self-defeating defense mechanisms. They too often compromise trust which is the core factor in engaging people and enabling their talents to flourish and synergize. Blind leaders too often lack the core principles of integrity, accountability and servant leadership we discussed during our last episode.

  8. Jun 2

    Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Managers in the Middle

    You’re a middle-manager reporting to a senior exec or perhaps a Director. You have four direct reports and several indirect reporting people. And you’ve got your share of peers across the other departments.

    Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Managers in the Middle
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About

*Step into the intricate world of hiring with Dr. Mickey in "Inside the Mind of Hiring." This show dives deep into the psychology and strategy behind one of the most critical decisions leaders face: choosing the right people. Dr. Mickey reveals the often-hidden traits that make individuals right fit—or a potential mismatch—for an organization, emphasizing the profound effects that hiring choices have on company culture, morale, and effectiveness.* In each episode, Dr. Mickey and expert guests uncover the full hiring journey, exploring both the bright and shadow sides of candidate evaluation. The show highlights a powerful process that often separates hiring success from failure: assessments. From personality and aptitude tests to the psychologist’s interview, these assessments provide insights that go beyond what’s captured in interviews, references, and resumes. They enable hiring managers to look past the sunlight of surface impressions and into a person’s illuminating shadows to truly understand what makes a candidate tick in terms of both strengths and potential red flags. With Dr. Mickey as the guide, the show examines how assessments help mitigate common hiring challenges: **Uncovering True Motivations**: Assessments reveal what drives candidates—factors that may not come across in a polished interview. A person’s motivations often align closely with their engagement and satisfaction in the role, making assessments a vital tool to predict long-term fit and potential impact on company morale. **Identifying Hidden Strengths and Weaknesses**: Some of the most important characteristics in a candidate are often invisible on paper or even in person. Assessments can reveal traits like resilience, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and work ethic, which directly affect team dynamics and job performance. **Reducing Bias**: Interviewer biases can subtly influence hiring decisions, whether they stem from personal preferences or subconscious assumptions. By introducing the psychological assessment factor into the hiring process, companies can add a more objective layer of evaluation, reducing the influence of superficial biases and focusing on the traits that truly predict success in the role. **Improving Hiring Accuracy**: Despite best efforts, traditional hiring methods often yield a success rate of only 40-60%. The cost of a poor hire is high—up to two times the base salary—due to onboarding, morale impacts, and productivity losses. Assessments increase hiring accuracy by adding data-driven insights, helping organizations make well-rounded decisions that align with their culture and values. But Dr. Mickey emphasizes that while assessments bring immense value, they’re just one piece of the puzzle. The best hiring outcomes combine the insights of assessments with human judgment, personal impressions, and team input to create a comprehensive understanding of each candidate. "Inside the Mind of Hiring" isn’t just about finding the right fit—it’s about cultivating teams that drive success, lift morale, and embody the company's vision. This show is a must-listen for hiring managers, HR professionals, and job seekers alike. By learning how to leverage assessments and avoid common pitfalls, leaders can make more informed and successful hiring decisions, while candidates gain insights into presenting their authentic selves. Join Dr. Mickey for a deep dive into hiring psychology and discover how to make smarter, more holistic hiring decisions that shape thriving teams and successful companies

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