Reprinted from TheChicago Tribune

High-quality talent is always the desire of a small business.

When the opportunity comes to bring in high-quality talent on the team, we frequently jump on it. But high quality isn't always high quality.

I am the leader of a diversity consulting firm with 10 full-time employees and about 25 associates whom we use on an as-needed basis.

In the field of consulting, you are always seeking out prime-time, quality talent.

Not too long ago I had the fortunate opportunity to hire a consultant who had a doctorate and several years' experience with a major management consulting firm. She was very bright, personable and had a passion for the field of diversity.

She also had knowledge of sophisticated electronic systems to help build the infrastructure of the organization.

With such an awesome background and dynamic personality, I immediately got excited and made her a part of the team.

The first few weeks were just like I thought they would be. She was proactive, insightful and very much a team player.

Everyone on my team thought I made a great hiring decision except my colleague and partner of many years, Bea Young.

Bea informed me that there was something about her that did not sit well. She told me to keep an eye on her. I felt Bea's concerns were associated with dealing with change versus the new hire. I felt that, in time, Bea would come to appreciate her as well.

As time went on, the new employee began to behave differently. She became very argumentative in meetings and questioned all ideas with an annoying cynicism. After only a few months, she felt she was the expert and could ignore the perspectives of other team members.

A little while later, she was caught attempting to steal a potential client and make the client one of her own. The potential client called me to question her activities and when questioned, she directly lied to me.

She began to create division among my current staff. I am so glad my employees had faith in the direction of the company and did not fall for her behavior.

Soon thereafter she was let go and business was back to normal. But I learned several lessons during this ordeal:

- Don't put all your trust in the contents of the resume.
- Regardless of how you feel about a person, check them out.
- Trust the opinions of your colleagues.
- Cut your losses soon before they become insurmountable.
- Know your biases. If you have a liking for upbeat personalities, have someone on your team who couldn't care less about upbeat personalities interview the person. They will give an honest evaluation.
- Don't rush your hiring decision. Anything that is good will get better in time.
The fallout from this hiring decision could have been a lot worse. The affect of a bad hire on a small company is really scary.

Prior to this hiring decision, most of the staff came directly from personal relationships, so the background of individuals was pretty well known. We felt safe in our decisions.

Don't think because you don't have the resources to do the appropriate big-company check that pre-employment screening is unimportant.

Pre-employment screening is vital, and regardless of the method chosen, do the necessary due diligence to ensure the integrity of your team.

Today, we have a three-month trial period for all new hires and contact several references to speak to the quality of the person.

We implement this process both for individuals we know and for individuals who come to us from unknown sources.

I suggest everyone do the same when making hiring decisions.