When I’m assessing an outside candidate, I want to verify his past. It’s essential to talk directly to his references. When I arrived at AlliedSignal, I personally checked references for dozens of candidates. I remember fellow CEOs asking, “Why are you calling?” I’d answer that it was a personal concern of mine. If I’m going to hire someone, I don’t want only human resources people checking him out; I want to check him out myself. And I don’t talk to just one reference and leave the rest to HR; I try to talk with two or three, even if it takes a lot of time. You can’t spend too much time on
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