How ghSMART founder and chairman Geoff Smart created a leadership consultancy that has been outscoring rivals like McKinsey, Bain and BCG on metrics like pay, prestige and employee satisfaction.
As a PhD student at Claremont Graduate University, Geoff Smart studied under the late management guru, Peter Drucker, who famously said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” (Drucker also noted that “so much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.” )
Smart evaluated various methods for hiring and assessing teams in his dissertation—and compared those metrics with bottom-line results. The assessment tools and system, which upended a number of hiring norms, became the foundation for his firm and bestselling book Who.
Today, ghSMART has 170 people and more than $100 million in revenue. Although the firm has been fully remote from the moment it was created in 1995, it boasts a strong culture with employees who give it market-leading scores on Glassdoor.
In the recent Vault ranking, the firm came out #1 in 10 categories, including selectivity, diversity, compensation, job satisfaction, the level of challenge and interactions with clients. To be an employer of choice in a hybrid world, Smart says. three factors are especially important: disciplined hiring, clear expectations, and alignment of the rewards to the results.
That gives consultants the flexibility to decide when and how often they will work. Setting clear goals and boundaries also builds trust. The father of nine puts family commitments on the calendar and encourages people to simply say “I’m not available for that” when declining projects or meetings. “It’s your damn business if you’re available or not,” says Smart.
His other advice, of course: select an organization that reflects your values. Click on the video above to find out more.
