David Fairhurst Wins Most Influential Practitioner
He may not have done it conventionally, but David Fairhurst, Chief People Officer of McDonald’s Restaurants Northern Europe, has been voted HR magazine’s most influential practitioner for the third year running.
“This person has done a lot of work in putting out there an evidence base for the power of good HR practice, which has done a lot to boost the credibility of what we do,” one commentator said of Fairhurst.
HR magazine’s editor, Sian Harrington, agreed: “The result of our ranking is a polarized picture of HR. The best directors are described as inspirational leaders, successful in showing how HR can add real value to the business and with strong vision. They are effective, progressive, pragmatic and transformational, commanding the respect of their peers, the organization and key stakeholders.”
And Fairhurst has demonstrated that good HR needn’t be conventional. In an exclusive interview with MeetTheBoss.tv in June, he outlined how trends of hiring for intangibles like teamwork, dependability, flexibility, leadership and attitude are more important than hiring for aptitude alone. “I think the best advice is to rip up job descriptions. I’ll probably get struck off my profession for saying that, but the reality is people who have the [wrong] attitude will work against progress, so to me the first thing you do is no different to that that I do in a store level around the country at McDonald’s, and that is to hire for attitude. Forget the qualifications, even forget some of the experience; look at the attitude.
“So for me it’s about building a team for the attitude. Hire the people who want to progress,” he told MeetTheBoss.tv.
This approach of hiring staff with the right attitude is quickly becoming a trend across all HR. A theory that is endorsed by Jonathan Levy, Attorney and President of Fair Measures, a management training firm: “Why do we often hire the wrong people? We don’t get the right information in the interview. We find out about their abilities, their aptitude, but not about their attitude. As a result, they may be able to adequately go through the motions of their jobs. But that’s all they do – go through the motions. They don’t have their hearts in it.”
With his third victory in three years, David Fairhurst has demonstrated that his methods work, and that hiring for the right attitude is a proven method to drive for success.
To see the full interview, click here.
This article originally ran on HR Management Magazine.
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